Firelight Prophecies
by Sailor Epyon
Summary: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes?
1. And So It Begins

The Firelight Prophecies 

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That belongs to Toei Animation. If I owned it, Kouji would've been present and watching when Takuya faced ShadowSeraphimon. That could've been so great…

Warning: This fic contains **yaoi/shounen-ai**, which is the coupling of two males. If you do not like this kind of coupling or you hate the fact that this is a **Takouji/Koukuya** fic (the coupling between Takuya and Kouji and vice-versa) then you should probably hit that nifty "back" button and search for a fic that's best for you. Any flames shall be poked and prodded by use of a spork.

Synopsis: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes to survive? Will the shadows threaten to separate the two once and for all? Koukuya/Takouji fluff in later chapters… I really suck at writing summaries.

Summary: This chapter is a bit of a precursor for things to come. It serves as an introduction to all the characters of the story, and what they've been doing since returning to the Digital World. I decided to start out this way, because I didn't want to confuse readers later on with things that will be mentioned in this chapter. There will be lots of flashbacks, so look out, or they'll bonk you on the head.

Setting: This story takes place one year after the series. It starts out in Shibuya of the human world.

Written by: Sailor Epyon

Chapter 1: And So It Begins…

A warm breeze blew through Shibuya. It was strong enough to cause flower petals to dance in the wind, and yet gentle enough as to not disturb the people who were walking around in their dizzying lives. The breeze rustled softly, causing the majestic trees in the park to gently sway back and forth. The sun shone down brightly and falling leaves revealed that summer was soon coming to an end. Tiny green leaves gently fell into the lake, causing the water to ripple, as the leaves floated along the stream. It was such a nice day, in spite of the loud sounds of the city and the people who lived in it. Why was it that people could not stop to take the time to notice such things?

Kouji Minamoto sighed as he leaned against a tree in the park. It had been nearly a year since he and his friends returned from the Digital World. So much had changed in the past year. The twists and turns of life in such a short amount of time could possibly have driven a normal person into insanity. Kouji, however, was not a normal person; nor were his friends and newly found twin brother. They had all gone through so much together in the Digital World. They each had faced their own demons and defeated the ultimate evil, who stood in the form of Lucemon. They restored the Digital World to its beauty. Each of the digidestined had changed in some way or another, but none had changed as much as Kouji.

Kouji had just been reunited with his twin brother Kouichi, whom he never knew existed. Fate was cruel enough to nearly take him away from him again; but then again, wasn't it fate who also intervened? Kouichi's life was spared, much to the delight of Kouji and their friends. It had been a miracle that Kouji himself could not marvel. He was just happy to have his brother back, alive and well.

Things weren't particularly easy for Kouji after that fateful day in the hospital, however. He had so much vented anger toward his father, who had lied to him about his birth mother's alleged death and the fact that he had a twin brother. Kouji found that his stepmother had been kept in the dark the entire time as well. She nearly left his father after she'd found out the truth. She probably would have if it hadn't been for the simple fact that she still loved him and couldn't bring herself to leave. In time, she accepted the truth and even grew fond of her newly found stepson Kouichi. They got along so well as they were both similar: cheerful, polite, and easy-going. It was in this time that Kouji had begun to truly bond with his stepmother, and found that she really wasn't so bad after all. Kouji also began to bond with his birth mother, which was awkward for the both of them at first. After some time, however, they got to know each other and truly began to act like mother and son. Eventually, Kouji forgave his father, after an intervention from Kouichi, and things were beginning to look up for the Minamoto/Kimura families. Kouji and Kouichi made arrangements to stay at each other's houses on weekends, had daily phone conversations, and decided to attend the same school together. Things could've been perfect, had it not been for the fact that Kouji still felt a bit lonely.

Kouji let out another deep, heavy sigh. 'What's wrong with me?' He thought to himself.

Kouji reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. He flipped it open and checked his messages…again. There was a message from his stepmother, asking him to run an errand, which he already had completed, and a message from Kouichi, asking Kouji if he'd like to meet up with the other digidestined children at a cafe. Kouji had declined, after learning that a certain digidestined would not be attending. Kouji sighed, wondering if the other children thought he was a jerk for ditching them. He honestly was not trying to be the old, antisocial Kouji. He loved spending time with his brother and friends, but he just felt the need to be alone. Kouji still enjoyed a little solitude every now and then and lately, he had not gotten so much of it since he'd returned from the Digital World.

Kouji could just picture Kouichi, Junpei, Izumi, and Tomoki sitting together at a table, laughing and having a great time. He thought about how they had all been so close during their adventures, but suddenly, everyone was drifting apart. Maybe it was because most of them attended different schools. They all had their own lives to live, after all. After returning to the Digital World, everyone had exchanged phone numbers at the hospital. At first, they all kept in touch and hung out at least twice a week. But soon, everyone began slowly drifting away, in search of their new lives. It wasn't as if they had all gone without talking to each other or anything. It was just that they weren't as close as they used to be. Perhaps it was because they had been used to seeing each other on a daily basis in the Digital World, and now, they were all lucky to hang out as a group for a few times a month. It was a bit depressing and Kouji decided to blame it on school.

Damn school always took up so much precious time. It also sucked that not everyone lived in the same school district. That made it even more difficult for the children to hang out. However, summer had arrived and they still hadn't had many opportunities to hang out as a group. Of course, when Kouji referred to hanging out with the _group_, he meant that _everyone_ would be there and it discouraged him that everyone wasn't. Actually, what discouraged him was that a certain member of the group wasn't there, but should've been.

_Ring. _Kouji jumped out of his thoughts as his cell phone began to ring. Kouichi Kimura's name showed up on the ID.

"Hello, Kouichi." Kouji answered, not waiting for Kouichi to speak first.

"Hey otouto-chan," Kouichi's cheerful voice replied, "Are you sure you don't want to come and hang out with us for a while?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Kouji said quietly, "I hope you guys are having fun, though."

"We are," said Kouichi, "but it would be more fun if…"

"I know," Kouji answered, abruptly cutting Kouichi off, "See you later, brother."

"Goodbye." Kouichi simply said with a sigh.

Kouji hung up the phone and sighed. 'Besides,' He thought, '_He's_ not going to be there. Why should _I_ go?'

Kouji really wasn't trying to be antisocial. He just liked to have a few moments to himself. He was also a little disappointed, because of the fact that the person he most wanted to see was also absent. Kouji thought of the sounds of laughter he overheard in the background during his conversation with Kouichi. Everyone sounded like they were having so much fun. He could hear Junpei making a remark about something, as Izumi and Tomoki laughed loudly at whatever he had said. Kouichi sounded as though he was holding back laughter, for the sake of the phone conversation. However, one voice was missing: the life of the party.

Kouji smirked at himself. 'If _he_ had somehow shown up, I most likely would've shown up as well.'

Kouji's thoughts began to shift toward his friends again, as he imagined the lot of them gathered at the café. He began to think of how they had all changed since their adventure in the Digital World.

Kouji's thoughts wandered to Junpei Shibayama, child of thunder. Junpei had once been a selfish person, who always tried to buy friendship. He was now one of the most giving of friends. Junpei was the oldest of the group, but that didn't necessarily make him the most mature. Still, Junpei was a good guy to have as a friend. Kouji saw him a lot less often than the others. Junpei lived on the outskirts of Shibuya and attended school in a different district. It truthfully wouldn't have mattered if Junpei had attended the same school as Kouji, since he happened to be a grade ahead of him. Junpei had become quite popular with his classmates after returning to the human world. Not surprisingly, he wanted to spend more time with his friends, and so, he did. He was still into magical tricks and illusions, and performed often for his closest friends. He was actually quite good now, good enough for Kouji to stop calling it lame. As always, Junpei still had a humongous crush on Izumi, but he wasn't quite so obnoxious about it now. Junpei hung out with Izumi quite often, and kept in close, almost daily, contact with both she and Kouichi via phone.

Kouji's thoughts then wandered to Izumi Orimoto, child of wind. The blonde haired, green-eyed girl had changed quite a bit as well. She was now an open-minded person, who wanted to befriend everyone, and seldom whined about anything. After returning to the human world, Izumi became quite popular at her school. She, like Junpei, did not attend school with Kouji. Izumi attended an all-girls' school and seemed to enjoy it very much. She was surrounded by so many of her friends, after all. Izumi never acted stuck-up or snobby with her newfound popularity, which delighted the digidestined, who had grown to depend on Izumi's friendship. Kouji found that Izumi lived closest to him, of everyone in the digidestined. She lived in the same, "nice" neighborhood as he did, though 9 blocks away. This didn't exactly make the two any closer than they already were. It wasn't as if they hung out at each other's houses or anything because of this fact.

Izumi still seemed to lack romantic feelings for Junpei, but did seem to enjoy his company very much. Izumi tried to keep in close contact with every member of the digidestined, often arranging for get-togethers and frequent phone calls. She, Kouichi, and Junpei kept a pretty close friendship, as the two latter boys were the easiest to get hold of. Izumi also stayed in extremely close contact to another _certain_ person, which made Kouji slightly wonder about the nature of _that_ particular relationship.

Kouji shook his head. 'Nah, I shouldn't let things like that get to me.' He thought as his thoughts began to wander off again.

Kouji cleared his mind, as images of Kouichi Kimura, child of darkness, suddenly appeared in his head. Kouji smirked at the thought of his twin brother. He and Kouichi had been through so much together. As mentioned before, the two never knew each other existed before a year ago. They'd spent so much time getting to know each other after they'd gotten back from the Digital World, that it now seemed as though they had never been separated at all.

Kouichi, despite his element, was the very opposite of darkness itself. He was a very polite and cheerful person, who cared very much about his twin brother, family, and friends. He'd proven that by sacrificing himself in the Digital World and nearly dying in the process. Kouichi, unlike Kouji, revealed himself to be quite social. He had spent so much time worrying about his "condition" in the Digital World, that he was a bit distant, but after returning to the human world, everyone got to see the real Kouichi. Kouichi was easily amused and was very loyal. He, like Izumi, tried to arrange for get-togethers with the digidestined every now and then. As mentioned before, Kouichi seemed to have formed a special friendship with Izumi and Junpei, as the three of them always seemed to have the time to hang out together, despite attending different schools. Kouichi, unlike the others mentioned so far, attended the same school as Kouji. They'd both attended different schools in separate districts before this year, but decided to attend the same one this year, for obvious reasons. Kouichi also kept a close friendship with another person…

Kouji sighed as he shifted himself to different sitting position. He was still leaning against his beloved tree.

Kouji's mind drifted toward the youngest of the group, Tomoki Himi, child of ice. Tomoki was in the fourth grade now, but was almost as mature as the older children. Tomoki had once feared everything, and was very dependent on the others. Now, he was a pretty independent kid who seldom cried. Tomoki resumed his friendship with Katsuharu and the others when he returned to the Digital World. He found that it was great to talk to other kids his age that had also been in the Digital World, about his adventures, as most people would've thought that he was insane. Tomoki, of course, couldn't attend the same school as Kouji, as he was much too young. He did, however, attend an elementary school in the same district, which meant that they saw each other often. Tomoki had a great relationship with his older brother, Yutaka, now that he was no longer the spoiled little brat he once was. Although he was ecstatic about regaining a great relationship with his older brother, he still insisted on keeping his relationship with his surrogate older brother strong as well. In fact, it was Tomoki's surrogate older brother, and hero, who introduced him to his, now, best friend, Shinya Kanbara.

'Kanbara…' Kouji's thoughts practically shouted the name throughout his mind. His mind suddenly wandered to the person whose name he'd tried mentally avoiding all day.

"Takuya Kanbara…" Kouji said aloud, as images of the boy began to enter his mind.

Kouji's mind felt anxious, and yet, oddly at ease as he began to think of Takuya Kanbara, child of flame. What could be said about Takuya? Kouji owed him so much that words just couldn't sum up what he thought of the goggle-head. Like Kouji, Takuya had drastically changed since he'd returned from the Digital World. Before the digital experience, Takuya had been a stubborn, careless, hotheaded young man. He wasn't the kind of person that you could exactly depend on because of those facts. And now? Well, Takuya was still stubborn at times (but not unreasonably so), and could still be a bit hotheaded as well. However, Takuya revealed to be the most caring, dependable person that Kouji had ever met. Takuya's stubborn demeanor had evolved itself into something great. He turned his weakness into a much-needed strength as stubbornness evolved into determination. Takuya had become a pillar of strength for all of the digidestined in their darkest of hours, and this was especially true for Kouji.

'He's so full of good attributes these days.' Kouji thought as he smiled.

Kouji deeply admired Takuya's continuous optimism, although he didn't appreciate it at first. He was the kind of person who could always smile and be cheerful. Takuya could always make the best out of the worst situations, with his determination and optimism. With those traits, it wasn't hard for a person to believe in him. Takuya was a bit of a firecracker though. He wasn't the type to turn the other cheek. He could definitely take care of himself, and would gladly defend any one of his friends to the death. Takuya treasured his friends and family above all other things and merely wanted to protect them all as much as he could.

'Heh, perhaps we're not polar opposites after all.' Kouji smirked to himself. That sense of protection was a trait that both he and Takuya shared in common.

Takuya was leader of the Chosen children, something that Kouji had not accepted at first. It wasn't that he hated the fact that Takuya was leader, or that he was really jealous, for that matter, it was just that Takuya was a bit of a careless leader, not really thinking about the best interests of the others, or even his own. However, Takuya got himself on track and became the best thing that could've happened for the digidestined. That carelessness he had once possessed mysteriously disappeared; and Kouji was still puzzled as to how Takuya could've changed so much in such a short amount of time. He was grateful for whatever had happened to Takuya though, because it matured him and turned him into the bravest, most caring person that Kouji had ever met.

Takuya was also fiercely loyal and very trustworthy. Kouji found that he had misjudged him. When they'd first met, Kouji had thought that because Takuya was such a loud person, than he was probably a _loud-mouthed_ person as well. He was wary of trusting anyone, and was especially wary of trusting a guy like Takuya with anything. Later on, as he got to know Takuya a little better, he decided to trust him and began to confide in him about his family ordeals. Now, Kouji trusted Takuya with his life. Both boys became the best of friends, and Takuya brought out the best in the once lonely Kouji. Kouji was good for Takuya too, as he kept Takuya's temper in check. Their best traits had rubbed off on each other. Kouji was content now and it had mostly been Takuya's doing. Takuya taught Kouji to trust and smile. He taught him to be happy. He taught Kouji to love. Takuya taught Kouji to fight for those he loved, particularly when Kouichi was Duskmon and Kouji refused to fight him. He remained by Kouji's side during the battle and ultimately helped him to purify his twin brother. Afterward, Kouji was afraid of trusting Kouichi and was unsure of what to think of having a newly found brother. Takuya helped him with that and became the bridge between the two.

'Geez, I owe him so much.' Kouji thought. 'I don't think I could ever repay him, except to always remain by his side.'

Kouji beamed. He was inwardly proud of having Takuya for a leader. Kouji remembered once telling Takuya that it was an honor, fighting by his side. It was true and Kouji missed those days. He didn't miss always looking over your shoulder, always fearing that some evil digimon might try and attack you. He missed always being by Takuya's side, no matter what.

Kouji remembered the day in the hospital, when the Chosen children returned from the Digital World. Flashback Everyone was so happy because Kouichi's life was spared. It was an emotional time for Kouji, who was overcome with having nearly lost his twin brother. For an hour or so, everyone sat around in the hospital room enjoying each other's company. Then, Takuya turned to go out the door.

"Well everyone, I'm afraid I'm late for a party." Takuya said in haste, "My mom is going to kill me for being so late."

"You're leaving so soon?" Kouichi asked.

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, but I'm really glad you're okay, Kouichi."

Kouichi gave a slight nod and reached into his pants pocket to reveal his cell phone.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to exchange phone numbers." Kouichi said with a smile.

"Oh sure," Takuya said as he returned the smile. Pretty soon, everyone had exchanged phone numbers.

Takuya grinned. "Take care of yourselves everyone." He said as he threw his hand up and walked out the door.

Kouji stood up and walked quickly out into the hall, after him.

"Hey Takuya!" Kouji called. Takuya turned around, surprised.

"What is it, Kouji?" He asked.

Kouji grabbed Takuya's hand and shook it. He flashed a genuine smile that Takuya had rarely seen.

"I just want to thank you, Takuya," He said as he smiled, "I want to thank you for everything. I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

"You don't have to thank me, Kouji," Takuya replied, returning the smile, "What are friends for?"

"What are _best_ friends for." Kouji corrected him, "Because that is what I think of us."

Takuya's smile grew even wider. "I think so too," he said happily.

"So don't be a stranger, okay?" Kouji said, hoping to have the chance to hang out with Takuya now that they were in the human world.

"I won't." Takuya answered with a chuckle, before he turned and walked away. "We can call each other whenever we want."

Kouji nodded. "Take care of yourself, Takuya." He said, still smiling.

"Take care of yourself as well, Kouji." Takuya replied with a wave. Kouji watched him until he disappeared around the corner.

"I definitely plan on seeing you again very soon." Kouji said under his breath after Takuya had left. Now that Kouji actually had a best friend, he intended on making sure it stayed that way. Then, Kouji walked back into Kouichi's hospital room and joined in on some silly conversation that everyone was having. He didn't notice the look that Kouichi shot him. /Flashback

Kouji smiled to himself. "Best friends…" His voice trailed off. Kouji longed to see his best friend right now.

It wasn't as if Kouji and Takuya never saw each other again after that day. That couldn't have been further than the truth. It was just that lately, Takuya hadn't been around so much. He was always busy with something or another, just like today. When Takuya did have time for Kouji, they rarely got to spend it together…alone.

Kouji's memory rested on his first day of the new school year. Once again, Kouji had moved to a new school. This time was different, though. Kouji had wanted to switch schools, so that he and Kouichi could spend more time together. Kouichi had done the same, and both decided to attend school in the district that was the closest distance between their residences. Flashback Once both boys reached the schoolyard, Kouji could instantly tell that this was going to be an interesting school year. He didn't know the half of it. Kouji and Kouichi looked around them and noticed a crowd of kids, who appeared to be gathered around something or someone. Kouichi walked over to the crowd of seven or eight kids, curious of the commotion. Kouji, who wasn't really interested in what others were doing, sighed and followed him. They began to hear excited voices.

"How was your summer, Kanbara?" A boy in the crowd asked.

'Wait, did he just say Kanbara?' Kouji silently asked himself.

"Well, it was definitely interesting, to say the least." A familiar voice answered with a nervous chuckle.

"It's him." Kouji stated in a somewhat shocked voice.

Kouichi gasped. "Hey, that's Takuya! I didn't know he attended this school."

Takuya turned and looked at the twins. His face turned from exasperation to surprise to happiness.

"Kouji, Kouichi! I didn't know you were attending school here." Takuya shouted cheerfully as he pushed through the crowd, ignoring them.

"We didn't know you studied here either." Kouji replied with a smile. Yes, this was definitely going to be an interesting school year.

"Sure, I just live about eight blocks down." Takuya answered with a cheerful smile.

The school bell rang and all of the children scampered off to class. Kouji smiled blissfully. He now attended school with two of his favorite people: his brother and his best friend. Kouji knew that he wouldn't be lonely this year. /Flashback

It was great to attend school with Takuya. Kouji got to know him even better. He wasn't so shocked to find that Takuya was the most popular kid in school. He was the star player of the school's soccer team, and he was the friendliest person in class. He even had a fanclub, which consisted of fangirls (and some fanboys) who wanted Takuya's affections, although Kouji doubted that Takuya even noticed it. The _Takuya Kanbara Fanclub_ annoyed the hell out of Kouji for some reason though.

Takuya could've sat with anyone he wanted during lunch, but he always insisted on eating with Kouichi and Kouji. Kouji noticed that everyone referred to Takuya by his last name, with the exception of a girl who shared the same floor as Takuya in his apartment building, Kouichi, and himself. Kouji had decided that perhaps Takuya was never so close to these people in the first place and wondered whether Takuya had been lonely in the years before, even with his popularity.

Kouichi enjoyed Takuya's company, as he was highly amusing, and expressed it more openly than Kouji did. In fact, Kouichi had become almost as close a friend to Takuya as Kouji was. _Almost. _In Takuya's mind, no one could ever take Kouji's place as his best friend. _No one_. Kouji was very grateful to this. Because they attended school together, Kouji had more of a reason to hang out with Takuya. They always worked together on school projects and he found that Takuya was actually a pretty good student (though not quite as good as he). They always hung out together after school as well. Of course, Kouichi was almost always with them, and Kouji enjoyed having his brother around… It was just that Kouji wished he had more time alone with his best friend.

Kouji and Takuya hardly ever got any time alone. The Chosen children frequently met up to hang out during the school year. Kouji took notice that Izumi especially enjoyed hanging around Takuya and it was during this time that Kouji had begun to take notice of his feelings. He was growing a bit jealous of Izumi and he had no clue as to why. Worse yet, Kouji felt a kind of inward rage toward Takuya's ridiculous fanclub, and he still had no reason why he did.

Kouji smirked as he stood up and dusted himself off, as the ground was beginning to annoy him. Then, he climbed up to the closest tree branch from the ground and made himself comfortable.

'You know exactly why you felt that way now, baka.' Kouji thought to himself. Then, he began to think of when he started to lose Takuya to time itself.

Flashback It had all started when Takuya had called everyone up and asked them to meet him at a nearby café, toward the end of the school year. Of course, everyone sweat-dropped when they arrived, noticing that Takuya himself was late for his own damn meeting.

"How very typical." Kouji sighed, sitting down, a little relieved that everyone had chosen to sit at one of the outside tables for a change.

"Well, he did have soccer practice today, right?" Kouichi asked.

"Yeah, Takky probably got held over or something." Junpei said with a shrug, "I hope he took a shower."

Izumi and Tomoki exchanged glances. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to wait for him for long. They didn't.

"Hey guys!" A breathless Takuya called as he ran up to the table that everyone was sitting at.

Kouji took notice that Takuya's hair was extremely damp and noticed a smell of fragrant shampoo as soon as Takuya sat down next to him. Kouji blushed.

"Just got out of the showers, huh?" Izumi asked with a smirk. Takuya nodded.

"So Takky, what's this all about?" Junpei asked, slightly impatiently. Takuya tried to gather his breath. He ran all the way from Shibuya Soccer Field in this intense heat, after two intense hours of soccer practice.

"Just try and catch your breath." Kouji said, noticing the exhausted look on Takuya's face. "We can all be patient."

Takuya nodded and took in a few, deep breaths before maintaining normal breathing.

"I have something I'd like to discuss with all of you," Takuya said, a bit nervously.

"What would that be?" Izumi asked as she smiled sweetly.

"Err, well, the reason I was late was because the coach held me over after practice." Takuya explained. He took a breath and began to speak some more. "Anyway, Coach Aono offered me the position as team captain."

"What! Oh my gosh! Takuya, that's wonderful!" Izumi squealed.

"Yeah, nii-chan, you'll be awesome," Tomoki said with a cheer.

"Wow, team captain… That's so cool, Takuya," Kouichi replied with a grin and he threw Takuya a 'thumbs up'.

Takuya blushed and looked down at the ground. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of worry. Kouji grew concerned.

"Well guys, I haven't exactly accepted the position yet." Takuya stated quietly as he glanced down at the ground.

"Well why not, Takky?" Junpei asked, "Being captain would be a great experience for you."

Takuya sighed quietly and continued staring at the ground. Kouji immediately took notice of the sigh.

"Takuya, what's going on?" Kouji asked with a concerned tone, "Do you not want the position?"

"It's not that," Takuya replied, as his voice grew a little louder, "I'm just not sure I'm good enough."

"What are you talking about?" Kouichi asked as a look of exasperation came over his face. "You're the greatest soccer player in the history of the school."

"Kouichi's right," Izumi declared with a nod, "Please stop being so modest, Takuya. It's not normal for you and I don't like it."

"Gee, thanks." Takuya muttered as his worried face turned into one of annoyance. "Am I really that arrogant? I was working so hard on trying to not be so cocky."

"You aren't that arrogant," Tomoki answered with a smile, "You're the greatest, nii-chan."

"Thanks, I guess." Takuya replied with a small grin. Then, Takuya blinked and returned to the subject at hand. "But guys, you didn't let me finish. What I meant was that I don't think I'm good enough to be the captain."

"Why would you think that you're not good enough to be captain?" Kouji asked, concerned for his best friend's sudden lack of self-confidence.

"Well, we all know that I'm not exactly the best at being the leader," Takuya answered in a new tone that Kouji and the others didn't recognize.

"I must've been excluded," Kouji stated rather loudly, "because I didn't know that."

Takuya blushed and for the first time, looked away from the ground and caught Kouji's eyes. "Be honest, Kouji. I was a horrible leader. I made horrible decisions and nearly got everyone killed. I nearly got you killed on more than one occasion."

Kouji blinked. "So you made a few mistakes," He said with a shrug, "Things happen. You overcame all of that. It was because of you that we were able to get so far, and how we managed to survive. Your determination and strength is what lead us all to depend on you. You were a great leader, Takuya. You still are."

Kouji blushed after he realized what he'd just said and shook it off. Takuya needed to hear it. He needed to hear that he wasn't the failure that he obviously thought he was.

Takuya blushed as well. "I just don't think I'm qualified for it," He replied as he began to stare at the ground again, "I don't want to let my team mates down."

Kouji sighed. He was growing irritated at Takuya's lack of confidence. It wasn't the Takuya he knew. He closed his eyes for a minute to gather his composure, not wanting to say anything in an insensitive tone, and opened them as he began to speak again.

"Takuya, if you really want that position, then I think you should go for it. Your team would be lucky to have you as their captain. You won't let them down. They'll benefit from having you to lead them. I believe in you and I know you'll do your best, no matter what you decide." Kouji said in a reassuring tone.

"Do you really think so?" Takuya asked as if he clung onto Kouji's opinion of him.

"Of course I do," Kouji responded with a smile.

Takuya began to grin, which made Kouji blush.

Kouichi smirked, taking notice that the group conversation had turned into a one-on-one session with Takuya and Kouji, as everyone else just looked on. The smiling and blushing was most certainly entertaining to Kouichi as well.

"Well, I think being captain would be pretty cool," Takuya chuckled sheepishly. "There are a few strategies that I've always wanted to try out during games."

"There's the Takuya that we know and love," Izumi laughed, somewhat bringing the group back into the conversation. "You'll make a great captain, Takuya. You'll lead your team to victory for sure."

"Yeah, you'll be great, Takky. Don't worry so much." Junpei said as he took a sip of his soda.

"You'll be the greatest captain ever!" Tomoki exclaimed.

"Yeah, I have no doubt that you'll be an awesome captain, just as you were an awesome leader." Kouichi replied in a reassuring tone.

Kouji just nodded in agreement with all of them. At this point, words weren't needed.

Takuya smiled. "Guys, you're the greatest friends a person could ask for," He said happily, "I'm so lucky to have all of you. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Everyone chimed in happily.

Kouji inwardly frowned. Takuya was already a busy person as it was, with being devoted to so many obligations such as his parents, Shinya, school, and soccer. Now that Takuya was going to become captain of the team, his busy schedule would most likely become more chaotic, leaving little time to spend with his friends…or Kouji. However, this was something that Takuya really wanted and it made him so happy. Kouji wanted his best friend to be happy more than anything else. His inward frown became an inward smile. If it made Takuya happy, then Kouji would be happy as well. /Flashback

Kouji let out a deep sigh. He was most definitely right about Takuya's lack of time that day. During the entire summer break; Takuya had become completely consumed with soccer. He led his team to victory after victory, and had recently gotten them into the regional championships. Because of having to organize everything from strategies to player positioning to practices, Takuya didn't have time for much else. With what little spare time he did have, Takuya spent with his family, who obviously missed Takuya as much as Kouji had. He honestly tried to organize his time a little better so that he could spend more of it with his friends, but it was so very hard to do.

"Takuya may as well be the damn coach," Kouji mumbled as he rolled his eyes. He certainly did more for his team than he should have.

Kouji watched Takuya at some of his games and seeing that fiery look of determination in his eyes brought back old memories. However, lately, Takuya had been playing at schools further out of Shibuya than Kouji could afford to take a train to see. The time he wanted to spend with his best friend was disrupted and that put Kouji in a bad mood.

Today, Takuya had an early practice, but no game. Kouji was hoping that because of this fact, Takuya would most likely have some free time on his hands. Kouji had known of Kouichi's plans of having the digidestined meet up at a café to catch up on things, and hoped that Takuya would actually be there for a change. Poor Kouji got his hopes up when he learned from Kouichi that Takuya was stuck running errands for his mother and most likely couldn't join them. This irritated him to no end. If Takuya wasn't going to make it, than neither was he. What was the point? Kouji loved all of his friends to death, but he really only wanted to see Takuya today. He felt incomplete when he wasn't with him. Kouji was feeling incomplete so much these days; and the loneliness was beginning to return as well.

'Heh, I almost wish that the school was back in session, because then at least I could still see him everyday.' Kouji contemplated with a bitter, inward laugh.

"Gah, why do I feel like this?" He asked himself aloud. Kouji paid no attention to the looks he was getting from a couple who passed by the tree that he had taken refuge in.

'Stupid Minamoto, you know exactly why you feel like this,' a voice proclaimed inside Kouji's head. He quietly smirked at himself. 'It's because Takuya Kanbara is more than just a friend.'

Kouji sighed. He had noticed even as far back as the Digital World adventure, that he felt something for Takuya. Back then; he wasn't sure what it was, though. He had never had a best friend or anyone remotely close to him before, and thought that may have been the case. All he knew was that he felt the strong urge to always protect Takuya, and not just because the goggle-head was so careless. It was way more than that. Kouji couldn't bare the thought of Takuya being in pain, or worse, dead. Granted, Kouji didn't want to see any of his friends get hurt, but he always felt the need to look out for Takuya. He developed another fixed emotion on his best friend when the two attended school together after the Digital adventure. Kouji felt the strong need to make sure that Takuya always smiled. He loved that smile, more than anything. With Takuya's warm and cheerful smile, Kouji always seemed to feel at ease and it made him want to smile as well. When Takuya was feeling down, even on something as petty as having too much homework, Kouji made it his obligation to cheer Takuya up in his own way. He was always there for him, no matter what, just as Takuya had been there for him in the Digital World.

Kouji also noticed something else a bit odd about his strange feelings toward Takuya: he found himself growing noticeably jealous every time Takuya's fan club swooned over him. It was worse when he'd hear from Kouichi that Takuya and Izumi were spending time together, even if they were both running errands for their families. Kouji became concerned about these strange emotions. Soon, he couldn't get Takuya out of his mind. No matter what Kouji did, he always thought of him. Kouji began to think about Takuya's cute looks and expressions. Takuya was adorable with those dark, brown eyes with a fiery glow of determination, that wild, brunette hair that did whatever it wanted, and his very tan complexion. Takuya had the most adorable, innocent-looking smile as well. Kouji was baffled at himself for thinking such things about his best friend. The last straw was when Takuya became captain of the soccer team at the beginning of summer break. Two months of summer had already passed and Kouji had barely spent time with his best friend at all. He felt lonely and incomplete. Kouji longed for Takuya's company; he missed him very much. Occasional meetings and phone calls weren't enough. He wanted Takuya to be near him all the time. In Kouji's loneliness, he was able to figure out his feelings. He had a crush on Takuya!

Kouji was surprised by his feelings for Takuya and feared rejection. Because of this, he sank into slight depression of having these feelings bottled up inside. Finally, Kouichi intervened and Kouji told his older twin brother about his feelings for Takuya in extreme confidence. If Kouji had thought he'd surprised himself with his feelings for Takuya, one should've seen the shock on his face after learning that Kouichi had already known about his feelings for the goggle-head.

"It's about time you finally admitted it," Kouichi had simply said with a chuckle.

Kouichi had explained about watching Kouji's expressions and behavior when Takuya was around, even as far back as the Digital World adventures. When Kouji asked his brother's opinion on the ordeal, Kouichi just gave another laugh and said it was "cute". Kouji remembered Kouichi asking what he was going to do about this little crush. Kouji had just given a shrug and said that it didn't matter right now. Takuya was his best friend first, and that a simple crush like this one would probably go away on its own. Kouichi had given a slight frown, but said nothing.

"I hope it is just a simple crush." Kouji sighed heavily, "This could lead to trouble and I don't want to lose my friendship with Takuya if he doesn't return these feelings. It means too much to me."

Kouji shook his head of these wandering thoughts. He lazily shifted positions on the tree branch and closed his eyes to take a short nap.

"It'd still be nice to see him though," Kouji yawned. He found that he was having difficulty drowning out the noisy people on the street across from the park. Damn, busy people…

"Hey watch it!" He heard a woman shout angrily from the busy street.

"Watch where you're walking, punk." A man said angrily, not two seconds after the latter complaint.

"How rude! Watch where you're going!" A young girl growled a few seconds after that.

Kouji opened his eyes and silently cursed. Stupid people! Couldn't they be quiet for ten minutes? He could hear various people complaining loudly on the street across from the park. Kouji, being high up in the tree, could see the street from where he was sitting. For some reason, Kouji felt oddly compelled to glance over at the commotion in the street. What he saw made a chill run down his spine. There on the street, was a goggle-headed brunette dressed in red. It was he.

A/N: After a long hiatus from posting fics, I'm back. Yay, I missed writing so much. I've been so horribly busy and I suffered from a nasty case of writer's block. I haven't posted anything in two years, so I'm interested to see how well I'll be able to cope with this "new" editing system they seem to have. It's amusing that I find myself posting yaoi, after I once said that I never would. My yaoi fics were never good enough to post, but I think this one might be okay. One thing's for sure; I plan to finish this story out. I'm going to stick with it till the end.

Ah, I love Takouji/Koukuya very much. It is my favorite of all Digimon pairings. Kouji and Takuya just have so much chemistry going, don't they? Plus, they're both so adorable. I must thank Angel Spirit for inspiring me with Different Journeys. That fic is truly great. Go read it, if you haven't already.

Chapter two will be up very, very soon. It is finished, but it currently being proofread. I try really hard to not make grammatical errors, so please bear with me. The story truly begins with that chapter.

Want to know something else? Class is evil. My first week back was so boring. Writing this chapter kept my sanity. Anyway, read and review, dearies.


	2. And So It Begins: Part 2

**The Firelight Prophecies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That belongs to Toei Animation. If I owned it, Kouji would've been present and watching when Takuya faced ShadowSeraphimon. That could've been so great…

Warning: This fic contains **yaoi/shounen-ai**, which is the coupling of two males. If you do not like this kind of coupling or you hate the fact that this is a **Takouji/Koukuya** fic (the coupling between Takuya and Kouji and vice-versa) then you should probably hit that nifty "back" button and search for a fic that's best for you. Any flames shall be poked and prodded by use of a spork.

Synopsis: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes to survive? Will the shadows threaten to separate the two once and for all? Koukuya/Takouji fluff in later chapters… I really suck at writing summaries.

Summary: This chapter, like the first, is a precursor of things that will happen later. The actual plot begins here. Kouji runs into Takuya in the street, but what will happen when he does?

Setting: This story takes place one year after the series. It starts out in Shibuya of the human world, but the return to the Digital World will be quite soon.

Written by: Sailor Epyon

* * *

Kouji opened his eyes and silently cursed. Stupid people! Couldn't they be quiet for ten minutes? He could hear various people complaining loudly on the street across from the park. Kouji, being high up in the tree, could see the street from where he was sitting. For some reason, Kouji felt oddly compelled to glance over at the commotion in the street. What he saw made a chill run down his spine. There on the street, was a goggle-headed brunette dressed in red. It was he.

* * *

**Chapter 2: And So It Begins… Part 2**

"Takuya…" Kouji's voice trailed off as he stood up on the branch to get a better view. Takuya was indeed on the street, walking into various people. Kouji raised his brow and jumped down from the branch. He ran out of the park and crossed the busy street.

"Takuya!" Kouji called. He ran up toward Takuya, who never once stopped.

"Takuya!" Kouji called again. Takuya didn't give a reply.

"Takuya?" Kouji asked, wondering why his best friend wasn't answering him. He finally caught up to the brunette, and noticed that Takuya hadn't slowed down his pace at all.

"Takuya, what's going on?" Kouji asked. Takuya still gave no answer, but kept walking. He walked into a woman, who scowled at him. Kouji took notice that he didn't even bother to apologize.

"Gomen nasai," Kouji bowed, apologizing for Takuya, before catching up to the brunette again. Takuya still didn't slow himself, nor did he notice Kouji's existence.

"Takuya, what's wrong with you?" Kouji asked, as he was walking directly behind him. Still, Takuya silently walked.

'Is he ignoring me?' Kouji asked himself silently.

Kouji was starting to grow irritated at his best friend. He hadn't felt this irritated since the two boys had first met in the Digital World, before they had gotten to know each other, before they had gone through so much together and had become best friends. Why was Takuya acting like this, all of a sudden?

Kouji noticed that they were coming up to a street crossing. Cars were quickly darting along back and forth. Kouji stopped and waited for the traffic light to stop the oncoming traffic, so that they could cross the street. However, Takuya didn't bother to stop. To Kouji's horror, he walked straight into the car-filled street and maneuvered his way though the road filled with moving vehicles.

"Takuya, what the hell are you doing?" Kouji called out, as panic reached his face. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Takuya never stopped or turned to answer Kouji. He kept darting around cars until he reached the other side of the sidewalk. Kouji sighed in relief, after seeing that Takuya made it safely to the other side. However, a rage began to grow inside of him.

"What the hell is wrong with that baka?" Kouji asked himself. "Is he suicidal?"

Kouji impatiently waited for the traffic signal, and then took off running across the street. Something was wrong, and Kouji knew it. It wasn't long before he caught up to the goggle-headed brunette again.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Kouji asked angrily. He jumped in front of Takuya, facing the boy for the first time today. He grabbed Takuya's shoulders, forcing him to cease his walking.

"Answer me!" Kouji shouted in fury. Takuya said nothing.

Kouji caught a glimpse at Takuya's face. Takuya's eyes were dazed, and his face looked emotionless and unreadable. Dark bags under his eyes suggested that he hadn't been sleeping lately. Kouji gave Takuya a good shake.

"What's wrong, Takuya?" He asked. Takuya remained silent, not looking away, blinking, or doing anything.

Kouji took a closer look at Takuya's eyes. He looked as though he was in some kind of trance.

"Takuya, please talk to me." Kouji said frantically. Takuya still didn't reply.

"Wake up! I mean it, this isn't funny," Kouji shouted into the emotionless goggle-head's face. Takuya, silent like before, did nothing.

Kouji balled his left hand into a tight fist. He punched Takuya in the cheek. Kouji instantly regretted doing so.

"Takuya, snap out of it." Kouji pleaded as he rubbed his fist. He had given Takuya a very hard punch.

Takuya still remained emotionless and abstracted, not even flinching as his body hit the ground in a hard thud from the punch. Kouji gasped. Takuya was still in a complete daze, unaware of his surroundings. He stood up and began walking again. Kouji was quickly behind him.

"Oh Takuya, what happened to you?" Kouji asked, knowing better than to actually think that he'd receive an answer from the goggle-head.

"You are scaring the hell out of me." Kouji said with a frantic sigh.

Takuya walked for two blocks, with Kouji directly behind him. He then, stopped and got his cell phone out. Kouji abruptly stopped as well and wondered what Takuya was going to do. Takuya stared at his cell phone for a solid minute.

'What's going on?' Kouji asked himself. 'Is he going to call someone?'

Suddenly, Takuya's phone began to beep, signifying that someone had sent him a text message. Kouji jumped in surprise as his own cell phone did the exact same thing. He reached into his pocket to get his cell phone and instantly checked the message.

"Please go to Shibuya Station at once. Be there by 5:15 pm and then head for the basement," it read.

"What the hell?" Kouji asked. He turned to Takuya. "Was your message similar to mine?"

Takuya didn't answer his best friend. He instead gripped his cell phone in his left hand and began walking again. Kouji put away his own cell phone and took off after him.

"How familiar, this is turning out to be," Kouji said in vexation, "This is just like when…" Kouji's voice trailed off when it hit him.

"It's the Digital World!" Kouji gasped. He sighed when he got no answer from Takuya.

'Takuya's behavior and the message from the Digital World are related, somehow," Kouji thought silently to himself as he continued to follow Takuya. 'Funny, it was as if Takuya was expecting that message. How could that be?' Kouji wondered. He contemplated on asking Takuya, but knew better than to expect any kind of answer out of him.

Kouji's cell phone began to ring. He jerked it out of his pocket and answered, not stopping as he did so.

"Hello?" Kouji asked.

"Otouto-chan, thank goodness I reached you," Kouichi's voice spoke in an anxious voice on the other end.

"Onii-chan, I don't have time for this right now," Kouji said, feeling somewhat bad for cutting his brother off. He didn't want to lose Takuya though.

"No, Kouji, listen," Kouichi said in a pleading voice, "Did you happen to get a strange message a few minutes ago?"

"Shibuya Station, right? Yeah, I got it," said Kouji.

"Well, where are you? We all need to meet up and see what this is all about," Kouichi asked in a somewhat anxious voice.

"Sorry bro, but I'm not turning back now," said Kouji, "I'm headed toward Shibuya Station and I'm about two blocks from it."

"Oh I see," said Kouichi, "The rest of us are on our way as well then." Then, he added, "I wonder if Takuya is headed that way too."

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Kouji answered his brother, "He's with me right now."

"Okay," Kouichi replied, "We'll be there soon." And with that, Kouichi hung up. Kouji turned off his cell phone and placed it back in his pocket.

Kouji sighed. 'I lied to my brother. Takuya's not here with me right now. I don't know where he is right now. One thing's for certain, he isn't here with me.' Kouji glanced at Takuya, who was still in a dazed state as he walked toward Shibuya Station. Kouji glanced at his watch. It was 5:12.

Shibuya Station came into viewing distance. Kouji let out a huge sigh of relief as both boys reached the station in time.

'I hope the others make it as well,' Kouji thought to himself. He noticed Takuya had slipped through the crowd of people who were waiting for tickets. Kouji ran after him, but lost him in the crowd.

"Damn, I can't lose him now!" Kouji cursed as he fought his way through the crowd, "Takuya isn't in any condition to be left alone." He frantically searched for the shorter boy, but couldn't find him. Kouji chided and fought his way toward the elevators. That's when he saw Takuya, heading into one.

"Wait up!" Kouji shouted, "Don't leave without me, Takuya!" He then dove into the elevator before the door shut. Kouji plunged head-first into the elevator wall.

Meanwhile, the other Chosen children made their way to Shibuya Station. Kouichi, Junpei, Izumi, and Tomoki looked around for any signs of Kouji and Takuya. Kouichi then caught a glimpse at a blue and brown striped bandana through the crowd. It was Kouji, and he was running toward the closing elevator.

"Kouji, wait!" Kouichi yelled as he tried to push his way through the crowd. Kouji however didn't hear his brother calling him. Kouji took a dive into the closing elevator, and Kouichi motioned for everyone to follow him. He reached the elevator door just as it had slammed shut. Kouichi and the others were too late.

Kouichi pounded his fist on the elevator door. "Too late!" He yelled in a discouraged manner. He sighed. "How ironic that this has happened to me, yet again."

"At least we know that Kouji's here." Izumi answered with a sigh, "But did you see if Takuya was in the elevator with him?"

"I didn't get a good look, but I'm sure he was," Kouichi said in a slightly calmer tone, "I doubt that Kouji would've left without him. They were together when I called him about the message, if you remember."

"I remember," Izumi said quietly.

Kouichi began to run toward to staircase. "We can still take the stairs," He said suddenly. The other digidestined followed quickly behind.

Kouichi ran quickly down the steps when he suddenly lost his footing. He was about to fall.

'Not again!' Kouichi's mind screamed. He suddenly felt hands pull him back onto the steps. He glanced back to see that Izumi had grabbed one of Kouichi's hands and Junpei had grabbed the opposite upper arm.

"We won't let you fall this time," Junpei and Izumi said in unison as they smiled.

Kouichi smiled back in gratitude. "Thanks guys," He said graciously. Junpei and Izumi nodded at him.

"Good to know that some things aren't repeating themselves," Tomoki said cheerfully, "Stairs really hate you, don't they, Kouichi?"

"I guess they do," Kouichi chuckled with a small blush of embarrassment. He then glanced at Izumi's watch. The time was 5:14.

"Oh no guys, we're running out of time!" Kouichi panicked.

"Okay, let's continue to head downstairs then," Junpei answered, "We'll make it. We have to."

The group took off running down the stairs again, joining hands this time. Perhaps Tomoki, Izumi, and Junpei were being a bit overprotective with Kouichi, but they definitely didn't want a repeat of last time.

Meanwhile…

"Gah, that hurts!" Kouji bellowed as he rubbed his aching head. He struggled to his feet and then glanced over at the silent and dazed Takuya.

"Now I know how you felt," Kouji murmured with a slight smirk. He sighed once again for the hundredth time today when he received no reply.

Kouji was becoming increasingly worried about Takuya's behavior. This elevator ride was feeling like eternity with all the silence. Kouji wondered if Takuya had felt that way when they'd first met last year, when he had ignored him on the elevator ride down. He felt a pang of guilt, out of the blue.

"I wish I knew what was wrong with you," Kouji replied in a very worried tone. "You're worlds away from me right now, aren't you?" Takuya remained ever the silent, not even bothering to glance a peak at his worried best friend.

"Do you even see me? Can you even hear me?" Kouji asked as he stepped closer to his best friend. Still, there was nothing. "Please, just go back to your buoyant and energetic self. This is scaring the hell out of me."

Takuya said nothing. He didn't acknowledge that Kouji was even there. The dark-haired boy began to stare at his best friend and secret crush. Those eyes… They were expressionless. He also took notice that Takuya hadn't blinked once since he'd met him in the street. Kouji couldn't read Takuya at all, and this scared him. Takuya looked as though he was staring right through him, as if he was truly in a different world. One could easily have mistaken the goggle-headed boy for a sleepwalker, but he didn't awaken, even with a harsh punch to the cheek. Kouji noticed that a small red mark had appeared on Takuya's cheek from when he'd hit him earlier. Suddenly, the elevator stopped and reached it's destined floor. The door flew open, breaking Kouji out of his thoughts. Takuya walked past Kouji and stepped onto the platform. Unlike last time, there were no other children around. Only one train was waiting for them. Takuya quickly made his way aboard it. Kouji, however, stepped out of the elevator rather slowly, not noticing that Takuya had already stepped onto the train. He looked around, taking notice that the other digidestined hadn't arrived yet. He let out a humongous sigh.

'Takuya isn't himself at all,' Kouji thought worriedly to himself as he stood on the platform. 'Something's happened to him. It's like I've lost him or something.' Kouji felt a cold shiver roll down his spine as he thought about it. 'What could've done this to him? It's as if he's under a trance.'

Kouji narrowed his eyes. 'The Digital World has something to do with this, I'm sure. If one thing's for certain, Takuya knows exactly where he's going.' Kouji stared down at the cold, hard floor, wearing his famous glare as he did so. 'If someone is responsible for doing this to him, they're going to seriously pay.' Kouji clenched his fists.

The sound of the train sounding off its warning whistle snapped Kouji out of his thoughts. He suddenly looked around to see that Takuya must've gone ahead. Kouji shook his head.

"We're not going to be separated this time around," Kouji said quietly, remembering that he and Takuya had taken different trains when this had happened the first time. Of course, there was only one train this time, but still… Kouji felt the need to say it.

He quickly ran to the train and stepped inside one of its cars in the back of the caboose. Kouji noticed that Takuya was sitting in a seat toward the front of the car. He walked over in that direction and stood across him. He stared at him intensely as he did so. Takuya's expression did not change. He was still emotionless, his eyes still dazed.

Kouji placed his strong arms on Takuya's broad shoulders and began to shake him.

"Please, answer me. Blink, glare, smile, do anything! Just please come out of this. Just listen to me, wherever you are." Kouji stopped shaking him and took his hands off his shoulders, when he produced no reaction from Takuya.

"I wish you'd come out of this." Kouji said with a sigh as he stared into Takuya's blank, expressionless face. "I wish you'd come back to me. I'm worried sick that you might stay this way forever." Kouji shook his head and cursed himself for saying that last part. Takuya couldn't stay like this forever. He had to snap out of it sometime, right?

Kouji protectively watched over his silent friend as he noticed his watch read 5:15. The train sounded its whistle and began to move. Kouji jumped when the car gave a quick jolt as it moved, but Takuya remained still and ever the silent. He sighed. The others hadn't made it.

"Hey, wait!" Kouji heard voices shout from behind. He ran outside to the back of the caboose and saw that his twin brother and friends had made it after all. They were running after the moving train.

"Hurry guys, before the train speeds up!" Kouji shouted.

"We're hurrying!" Izumi choked out. She was the fastest runner of their group and was getting closer to the caboose. Kouichi was not far behind her, lugging Tomoki along with him, who's legs were too short to catch up to the train on his own, and not too far behind them was Junpei, glaring daggers at the fact that he had to run so fast.

Kouji stood over the edge and reached out his hand, helping Izumi up onto the train. Izumi and Kouji then proceeded to helping Kouichi and Tomoki onto the train once they got close enough. Then, Izumi, Kouichi, and Kouji grabbed for Junpei, who'd finally made it up to the train, right before it began to speed up. He made it onto the caboose and everyone walked inside the car, as the small area on the back of the caboose was far too crowded. Everyone collapsed onto the floor of the car, exhausted.

"You made it just in time," Kouji declared, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, that was close," Kouichi answered as he grinned at his younger twin.

Izumi sighed. "So, I guess this means we're returning to the Digital World," she stated in a somewhat nervous tone.

"Maybe we're needed again," Junpei said quietly.

"Do you think the Digital World is in trouble again?" Tomoki asked anxiously.

"It's probably safe to assume that," Kouji answered with a sigh, before his tone suddenly changed. "Something weird is happening either way, and I'm going to find out what it is."

Kouichi glanced at his brother, taking notice that there was something more to this. Kouji had spoken in a fiercely determined voice, and his expression had been that of frustration. He caught his younger brother's eyes and looked at him as if to say, 'what's wrong'. Kouji understood this and walked back over to where Takuya was sitting. Kouichi blinked, not noticing that Takuya had been in the car before. Izumi also took notice of this.

"Hey, so Takuya made it too," she said cheerfully. Takuya remained silent as ever and Kouji's face returned to the look of worry he was wearing earlier.

Everyone walked over to where Takuya was sitting. He made no indication that anyone else was in the car with him.

"Hey Takky, what do you think of all this?" Junpei asked, wondering what their leader would think of their current situation. Takuya remained still, not acknowledging the fact that Junpei was speaking to him.

"Earth to Takuya?" Izumi asked, "Is anyone home?" There was still no change in Takuya.

Kouji looked over at the group, as if to say something, but was interrupted by Tomoki.

"Takuya, nii-chan, is something wrong?" Tomoki asked nervously. Takuya remained in his daze.

"What's wrong with you?" Junpei asked, fuming. He was losing his patience in Takuya. "Are you ignoring us? Has becoming captain gone to your head, Takuya? Are you too good for us now?"

"Junpei, please," Kouichi answered, trying to keep the peace, "Takuya's not stuck-up. He's the friendliest person around. You know that."

"Then why is he ignoring his so-called friends? Answer me that?" Junpei angrily grumbled.

"Stop it now!" Kouji growled, flying to Takuya's defense, "Takuya isn't himself."

Junpei jumped and immediately stopped hounding Takuya. He apologized to Kouji, but glared at Takuya.

"Some answers, please?" Junpei asked, irritably.

"Yeah Kouji, is something wrong with Takuya?" Izumi asked, worriedly.

"Take a look for yourself." Kouji replied. "Of course something's wrong with him. Takuya has been in this state since I met him on the street. He doesn't acknowledge anything. He doesn't make any indication that he can speak, blink, see, or hear any of us."

Everyone gasped. Kouichi waved his hand over the goggle-boy's eyes to confirm what his twin was saying. Takuya's eyes never once followed his hand movements. His dazed eyes continued to stare straight ahead.

"Damn," Junpei cursed, "It's like he's catatonic or something."

Kouji shuddered and nodded. Kouichi frowned.

"Who or what did this to him?" He asked.

"No clue," Kouji shrugged, "I think the Digital World holds the key to that question though. Someone there must know something."

Izumi frowned as a memory struck her. "Takuya was acting strangely when I saw him after his game last week," she said thoughtfully.

"How so?" Junpei asked.

"He was kind of out of it," Izumi explained. "He was zoning out on me, but I thought it was just typical Takuya-behavior. Plus, he answered once I yelled at him."

Kouichi glanced over at Kouji and began to speak. "Remember when I called you last night?" He asked.

Kouji nodded slightly.

Flashback "Otouto-chan, you'll never guess who I ran into today." Kouichi teased cheerfully on the phone.

"Whom did you run into?" Kouji asked, being serious as always.

"Takuya. He was walking home from soccer practice as I was buying bread for okaa-chan." Kouichi answered, cheerful as usual.

Kouji felt himself blush. "Oh, did you?" He asked, trying to sound cool and collected.

"Yup, I did." Kouichi answered, and then changed the sound of his voice from cheerfulness to concern. "I'm a little worried that he's overworking himself, Kouji. He was in a complete daze this time."

"How is that different from any other time?" Kouji asked in a somewhat annoyed manner, trying to hide the slight concern he felt at learning that Takuya was likely overdoing things.

"It was _very_ different," Kouichi answered, thoughtfully. "I had to call his name three times before he finally answered me."

"Typical," was all Kouji could manage to say before Kouichi decided to ask about tomorrow's get-together. /Flashback

Kouji couldn't believe the phone call had slipped his mind before this moment. He sighed as his gaze fell upon his catatonic goggle-headed friend and crush.

"Well this time, he won't answer no matter how loud or how much you call his name," Kouji replied sadly. Had the others not been there, Kouji might've begun to cry. Takuya was pretty much unreachable at this point.

Junpei lifted his fist and proceeded to attempt a knock at Takuya's jaw. Kouji caught the movement and stopped Junpei's fist within inches of Takuya's face.

"That won't solve anything," Kouji replied as he shook his head, "I've already tried that and if my punches couldn't bring him out of this, then nothing will."

Junpei sighed. "I'm just so tired of seeing him like this. Why won't Takky just wake up?"

"He will," Izumi, answered quietly, "he has too."

Kouji sat down in the chair next to Takuya, as Tomoki took the chair on the other side of him. Junpei, Izumi, and Kouichi sat across from them. Everyone sighed as they watched their leader, wishing there was something more they could do.

Kouji sat in uncomfortable silence, as doubts began to plague him. 'What if Takuya never comes out of this? What if he stays this way forever? This is unbearable. I don't think I could stand it. Seeing you this way is breaking my heart. I feel like I've lost you, Takuya.' Kouji shook his head of such thoughts. 'No, Takuya will snap out of it. He'll be just fine. He won't stay like this forever.' Kouji maintained his cool, as he didn't want to show his fear to the others.

Kouichi glanced at his brother and sighed. Kouji was putting up an impressive façade for the others, but he knew his brother. He was scared out of his mind.

"Takuya, come out of this, for all our sakes," Kouichi said loudly. After all, Kouichi wasn't only worried about his brother, but Takuya as well. As leader, the goggle-head was the group's emotional rock. He had to come out of this, because everyone needed him. Besides, Takuya was one of his closest friends. He didn't enjoy seeing him like this either.

Kouji looked over at his brother and smiled grimly.

Tomoki glanced out the window behind him and noticed that the train was about to head into pitch-black darkness.

"I think we'll be in the Digital World soon," Tomoki gulped, as the other children (excluding Takuya) took a peak out the window as well.

Indeed, there was a tunnel ahead; the same tunnel which seemed to separate the two worlds when they first entered the Digital World a year ago.

Suddenly, the train began to speed up, going faster than before. Everything inside the train suddenly became warped. Kouji noted that the train most likely transformed into a trailmon, just like before. Everyone's cell phones began to transform into D-Tectors, just like before.

'This is like deja vu,' Kouji thought to himself.

Everyone was carefully inspecting their D-Tectors in awe and happiness, with the exception of Takuya, who continued staring into space, not taking notice of his whereabouts.

"I'm glad to have this thing back," Junpei said happily as he firmly held his D-Tector in his hand.

"Same here," Izumi nodded in agreement.

Kouji's moment of joy ceased when he took notice of the silent boy next to him, who hadn't moved or said a word. He quickly put his D-Tector in his pocket, and everyone else did the same, with the exception of Takuya, of course, whose D-Tector was remained tightly gripped in his hands.

Kouji glanced out the window, but saw nothing but darkness. 'How appropriate,' He thought to himself. The doubts began to plague his mind once more, and got worse as he found he couldn't think positively this time.

Kouji then, stood up and began walking toward the door that led to the back of the caboose. He wanted to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. It had to be coming up soon. Besides, Kouji couldn't bear to see Takuya like this any longer. He had to leave, and quickly, before his eyes flooded with tears of frustration.

The other children, excluding the catatonic Takuya, stood up as well and proceeded to the back of the car.

"What are you doing?" Asked Izumi.

"As if it's any of your business," Kouji barked. "I want to be alone."

"Takuya always says that's when you need to be around people the most, Kouji." Tomoki stated quietly.

Kouji's head shot up when he heard Takuya's name being mentioned.

Kouichi let out a small smile, "How logical of Takuya," he laughed, "I agree with him."

Kouji couldn't help but smirk at that. "I never thought I'd ever hear the words _Takuya_ and _logical_ used in the same sentence." He snorted. He then patted Tomoki's head.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that," Kouji smiled slightly as he continued to ruffle the little kid's hat.

Kouji silently cursed himself for his momentary relapse back into that cold loner that he used to be. 'See what happens when you're not around, Takuya?' Kouji quietly thought to himself.

Everyone smiled, silently reassuring each other that everything would be fine, when suddenly, a loud thump and a gasp were heard. Kouji whirled around to find that Takuya's D-Tector had fallen to the floor. His eyes followed slowly up to the bench that Takuya had been sitting in, to find that the child of flame was gasping for air. Kouji was immediately by his side.

"Takuya?" Kouji asked, hopeful that Takuya would actually respond this time.

Takuya was breathing hard, as though he had been held under water and had come up for air. Beads of sweat rolled down his face. He appeared to be clutching his head, as if in pain. Takuya's breathing slowed, as he looked straight up into Kouji's dark blue eyes.

"K-Kouji?" Takuya stammered, confused.

Kouji smiled. "Takuya? Are you awake?"

Takuya looked up at him, confused. "Was I asleep?" He asked.

Kouji let out a faint chuckle. "Not exactly," He answered him. Kouji put his hand on Takuya's shoulder. "Welcome back, Takuya," he said happily.

Everyone sighed of relief as they saw that Takuya was responding normally again. Takuya rubbed his eyes, which no longer held that look of daze.

"My eyes are on fire," He stated with a small grimace.

'You haven't blinked since who knows when,' Kouji thought silently as he stared at the boy. Takuya looked around at his surroundings, confused.

What are all of you doing here?" Takuya asked. He then looked at his surroundings and gasped, "What am I doing here? Where am I? What's going on?"

"We were hoping that maybe you could tell us," Kouji answered.

"Me? What do you mean?" Takuya asked, obviously disoriented. He then clutched his head again.

"What is it? Does your head hurt?" Kouji asked, worriedly.

"No, it just feels numb. You know, like the feeling you get when you eat your ice cream way too fast, but the pain isn't really all there. My mind is racing. I'm so confused." He explained.

Kouji tightened the grip he had on Takuya's shoulder. The goggle-head took a moment to straighten himself up and then smiled.

"I'm okay. I just wish I knew what was going on here." Takuya answered.

Kouichi kneeled before Takuya and asked, "Do have any idea what happened to you?"

"No, that's why I'm asking all of you." Takuya answered as he began to grow nervous. 'What the hell _did _happen to me?' He thought to himself.

Kouji instantly took notice of Takuya's confused and worried expression.

"What is the last thing you remember, Takuya?" Kouji asked, whose hand still remained on Takuya's shoulder. At the moment, Kouji didn't care if anyone noticed his public display of affection for his best friend and crush or not.

Takuya then closed his eyes and began to think, "Last thing I remember was walking down the street. I had to go shopping for mom, which is why I couldn't meet up with you guys, if you recall. But then after that, I don't know. Everything sort of went blank and I ended up here." Takuya opened his eyes.

"How'd I end up here? How did I meet up with the rest of you?" He asked as deeper disorientation settled in his eyes.

Kouji let out a sigh. "That's a good question," He replied as he attempted to explain. After fifteen minutes of explaining, Takuya was brought up to speed. He bent down and slowly picked up his red and black D-Tector.

"So, we're returning to the Digital World? Wow, I'm guessing it must be in trouble again," Takuya spoke in a somewhat more calmer voice than earlier. He quickly put the D-Tector back in his pocket. "I'm sorry I spaced out or whatever, guys. I honestly don't know what happened to me, or how it happened. I don't remember anything. It was just blank, like a dreamless sleep, or like getting knocked unconscious."

"There's no need for you to apologize!" Kouji exclaimed. "It wasn't your fault. Don't worry about it."

Kouichi smirked at how quickly it took Kouji to respond to Takuya's apology.

'My dear little brother has it bad,' the older twin thought to himself.

Takuya then took notice of the sore sensation on his cheek. He rubbed it, wondering why it felt so sore. Kouji observed this and sighed.

"I hit you, Takuya. I'm sorry I did, but you were totally out of it. It was all I could think of," Kouji explained, genuinely apologetic, "You didn't respond in the least, not even after you hit the pavement. And trust me, it was a very hard punch."

"The Minamoto special, no doubt." Takuya grinned as he rubbed the red cheek. "It's okay, Kouji. Dude, if I was _that_ out of it, then I guess you _had_ to do something. I would've done the same in your shoes. I can't believe I didn't respond though. You have a killer left hook."

Kouji blushed slightly at the compliment and nodded. "Believe it, pal. You were completely spaced out."

He gave Takuya's shoulder a final squeeze before letting go. "I'm just glad that you snapped out of it, Takuya. It was quiet here without you." He cackled.

"Oh, so you're saying I'm loud, huh?" Takuya teased as he stuck out his tongue.

"You said it, not me." Kouji taunted as he closed his eyes and sat back down in his seat next to the goggle-head.

"Yeah, yeah…" Takuya replied, playfully rolling his eyes, before turning toward Tomoki and giving him a pat on the head.

Everyone began to converse with Takuya, cheerful that he was back to normal. The uncomfortably silent trailmon had somehow transformed itself into a very loud and happy one. Kouji kept his eyes closed, enjoying the sound that he had grown to love.

'Thank goodness he's back,' Kouji thought to himself. 'Thank goodness Takuya came back to us. I was scared to death that he'd stay that way forever. The silence, the unresponsiveness… It was unnerving. I thought I was going to lose him. I hope it never happens again.'

Kouji reopened his eyes and took a glance at Takuya, who was laughing at something that Junpei had said. He smiled. 'I prefer that lively laugh of his over that horrible silence from earlier, anytime.' Kouji contemplated to himself. Then, his smile turned into that look of seriousness that he always wore on his face.

"Takuya, I'm sure that the Digital World is involved with whatever happened to you earlier. I'll find out the truth one way or another, so don't worry, okay?" Kouji showed fierce determination in his eyes, which caused Takuya to blush. Too bad Kouji didn't notice it.

"Well, I hope you're not planning to find out alone," Takuya declared as that familiar look of determination shined in those fiery chocolate orbs of his, causing Kouji to blush as he stared into them, "Because I intend to find out as well. We'll work together, just like back in the old days."

"Of course," Kouji answered in that famous, low voice of his. He was inwardly jumping for joy to find that he and Takuya would be working together again.

Kouichi quietly chuckled to himself, taking notice that Kouji and Takuya had been so involved in their conversation that they'd once again forgotten all about the others.

"Don't think you're going anywhere without the rest of us," Izumi jumped in, breaking both boys out of their exclusive conversation.

"We wouldn't," Takuya answered her as he flashed a smile her way, "We're a team, after all."

Izumi grinned happily as the others began to join in for the "all for one and one for all" speech that was sure to follow.

Kouji sighed. 'Man, why is it that Izumi always jumps in the middle of everything?' He silently asked himself, but then brightened up. 'At least he said we were working together again. I would love that more than anything.'

Kouji then had the urge to slap himself for acting all giddy over something so ridiculous. This crush was getting worse by the second, but Kouji didn't care. He _wanted_ to be near Takuya. He _liked_ to be near Takuya. He wasn't going to stop, for any reason.

Kouji smiled softly as he stared at the happy and active Takuya, who was yammering on about how everyone was a part of the team and that they would work together to defeat whatever trouble was headed their way. Everyone in the group was nodding and agreeing.

'He'll likely try to protect everyone, just like last time,' Kouji contemplated as he felt himself blush at the thought of seeing that heroism in Takuya again, "And just like last time, I will protect him."

Suddenly, a light flashed through the windows of the car. The trailmon had entered the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone shielded their eyes, not used to the brightness of the light. Kouichi was the first to refocus his eyes as he took a peak out the window.

"Guys, I think we're here," Kouichi announced, a bit nervously.

Everyone else turned to look out the window as well. It was the Digital World, and it was, surprisingly, all in one piece. There didn't appear to be huge chunks of data missing. It was very odd; definitely not what everyone was expecting. The Chosen Children had expected the Digital World to be in some kind of horrible trouble, like last time.

Tomoki sighed with relief. "It looks like it's all in one piece," He said as he gave a small smile.

"Looks can be deceiving," Kouji declared, in an untrusting voice that was reminiscent of the tone he used long ago.

"I wonder where this trailmon's destination is?" Junpei asked.

"I guess we'll soon find out," Takuya answered him.

The trailmon kept speeding toward its destination as the digidestined took in the view of the Digital World through the windows. Izumi pointed toward several tall mountains that they appeared to be passing. The mountains looked lush and plentiful, with their green vegetation, as the sun shined brightly upon them.

"Beautiful," She commented in a voice of awe.

Everyone else stared at the view and agreed, murmuring words of awe and wonder. Even Kouji let down his guard long enough to agree. Takuya's gaze, however, fell upon the valley below the mountains. The sun's rays fell on the mountains, forgetting about the tiny valley below. Takuya saw the huge shadow that cast down into the valley. Other valleys that stood at the foot of the mountains were refused sunlight as well. He stared at the dark horizon that no one else seemed to notice.

"Shadows…" Takuya whispered quietly, as he suddenly felt uneasy. No one else seemed to hear him.

* * *

A/N: Yay, chapter two is up. The actual plot began here. If you'd like to know the truth, this chapter was originally supposed to be part of chapter one. However, it got so ridiculously long that I was forced to separate it into two different chapters. I wasn't sure how it'd work out, but now I'm glad I did it. It worked out for the better.

Now that I'm back in class, I'll probably be updating every 1-2 weeks, depending on how everything goes. I'm not going to abandon this fic though, so don't worry. This fic is fun to write, because it takes my mind off of things. I'll continue to work very hard on it.

Hmm, I wonder why Takuya was catatonic? You'll just have to wait and see. I'm evil that way. All will be explained in later chapters. Oh, and I think you'll like the next chapter, hehe.

Thank you to all of the reviewers out there. You're all very sweet people. Your reviews made me smile. I'm so honored.

**Kenzy-chan**: Thank you very much. I plan on it.

**KellyQ**: Microsoft word keeps capitalizing your name, lol. Anyway, thank you. Isn't Takouji just the greatest? I think it may be my favorite yaoi pairing.

**Kouji Kun**: I promise to update as often as I can. Cliffhangers do suck, don't they? They're so evil. I'm glad you liked my story so much.

**Dragi**: Thanks! And thanks for wishing me good luck with this story. I need all the luck I can get to just find the time to write this sucker.

**Takuya**: Thanks very much. I'm glad you think it's cool.

**Angel Spirit**: You're very welcome. I'm glad too. This story is so much fun to write. Ooh yes, I totally agree with you. A jealous Kouji is a fun Kouji and it's always fun to watch Kouji's emotions flare when someone comes near his Takuya in fanfics. Summaries have always been so difficult for me. It's difficult to sum a story up in just a few sentences, for me. I'm glad the summary got your attention though. It makes me feel a little better about it. Oh gosh yes, yaoi is the greatest thing to come to me since I discovered Dippin' Dots. And of course, Takouji is the cutest, sweetest, most fun yaoi couple (in my opinion). And yes, Kouji's definitely the star in this fic. I can elaborate on his emotions and thoughts forever. Such a complex guy, Kouji is. (gives you a Kouji plushie) Hehe, yup, Koukou brotherly love (with Kouichi being all supportive) and Takouji angst is definitely the best. I'm so glad that you reviewed this fic. I feel so honored.

Now, be good little dears and review for me.


	3. A Simple Crush

**The Firelight Prophecies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That belongs to Toei Animation. If I owned it, Kouji would've been present and watching when Takuya faced ShadowSeraphimon. That could've been so great… I also don't own Evangelion or Gundam…. Don't get the wrong idea though…this isn't a crossover. You'll see…

Warning: This fic contains **yaoi/shounen-ai**, which is the coupling of two males. If you do not like this kind of coupling or you hate the fact that this is a **Takouji/Koukuya** fic (the coupling between Takuya and Kouji and vice-versa) then you should probably hit that nifty "back" button and search for a fic that's best for you. Any flames shall be poked and prodded by use of a spork.

Synopsis: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes to survive? Will the shadows threaten to separate the two once and for all? Koukuya/Takouji fluff in later chapters… I really suck at writing summaries.

Setting: This story takes place one year after the series.

Written by: Sailor Epyon

* * *

Everyone else stared at the view and agreed, murmuring words of awe and wonder. Even Kouji let down his guard long enough to agree. Takuya's gaze, however, fell upon the valley below the mountains. The sun's rays fell on the mountains, forgetting about the tiny valley below. Takuya saw the huge shadow that cast down into the valley. Other valleys that stood at the foot of the mountains were refused sunlight as well. He stared at the dark horizon that no one else seemed to notice.

"Shadows…" Takuya whispered quietly, as he suddenly felt uneasy. No one else seemed to hear him.

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Simple Crush**

"Geez, this trailmon seems to be taking its sweet time in getting us to wherever we need to be." Junpei complained as he looked out the window behind him.

"The trailmon seems to be going pretty fast, though. I'm sure we'll arrive at our destination soon." Kouichi replied with a hopeful smile. Izumi and Tomoki both nodded in agreement.

It had been three hours since the chosen children arrived in the Digital World. Everyone was starting to grow tired and restless, not to mention hungry. It was obvious that the trailmon wasn't going to stop for anyone, and it was also painfully obvious that the trailmon wasn't going to bother to explain anything to the poor children either. All that any one of them could do was be patient and unfortunately, patience was not a virtue with this group. Fortunately though, Kouichi excelled at playing the role of peacekeeper, trying his best to keep his friends occupied. So far, his efforts had succeeded. Kouichi decided to once again switch the subject.

"So, what is the greatest mecha anime of all time?" Kouichi asked.

"Evangelion, of course," Junpei answered without hesitation.

"Gundam Wing!" Izumi chimed in, in an almost fangirlish tone.

"I'm not sure. I like so many," Tomoki pouted.

Kouichi smiled. 'That should keep them preoccupied for a little while.' He thought to himself, before joining in on the conversation. Little did Kouichi know; his skills of diplomacy would fail him this time.

The four digidestined began excitedly explaining their reasons for choosing their answers, while debating topics that were worthy of fangirls and fanboys everywhere. They were taking little notice of the two boys sitting away from them.

Kouji was also preoccupied with something at the moment; he was watching the goggle-head beside him. Takuya had been oddly quiet for quite a while, and didn't bother to join in on the many conversations that had taken place in the last few hours at all. He only spoke when he was spoken to, and seemed to sigh quite a bit. Kouji was growing worried again, because Takuya wasn't being himself at all. It was both unnerving and unnatural for him to be so quiet, and Kouji didn't like it. Takuya also seemed to wear a troubled expression, which worried him even more. Before he realized it, Kouji lightly touched Takuya's shoulder with his hand. To his surprise, Takuya didn't seem to notice. Kouji looked into Takuya's eyes to find that he was staring into space.

"Takuya?" He whispered. There was no answer.

"Earth to Takuya?" He said a little more loudly. Takuya was still silent.

'Oh no, what if he's unresponsive again?' Kouji thought in a panic to himself as chills ran down his spine. He never wanted to see Takuya in that condition again and the thought of it scared him. Kouji shook the thought out of his head and took action. He shook Takuya a bit roughly, causing the brunette to flinch and gaze into those beautiful blue eyes.

"Kouji?" Takuya asked, in a somewhat surprised tone.

Kouji let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry for shaking you, but I thought I'd lost you again," he explained, before blushing.

Takuya smiled. "It's okay," he replied. "I was only thinking this time, I swear."

"Lost in thought, huh?" Kouji asked.

Takuya nodded. "Sorry for scaring you like that," He smiled, "Maybe I'd be better off if I didn't think about anything at all." He gave out a small chuckle at that last part, which caused Kouji to chuckle too.

"Yeah, who knows what goes on in that thick head of yours," Kouji joked as he glanced at his best friend to see if he took offense. He didn't.

"Yeah really," Takuya smiled gently before growing quiet again.

'Thank goodness he wasn't in that horrible trance again,' Kouji thought to himself. 'I must admit though, I'm going to turn into a complete spazz if I'm not careful. I'm sick with worry because of this little crush of mine. Still though, something is bothering him.'

Kouji once again turned his attention on Takuya, who seemed to be watching the others as they happily conversed.

"Takuya, what's on your mind?" Kouji asked, breaking Takuya's gaze on the other children. The brunette turned and faced him, meeting his chocolate orbs with his own blue ones. Kouji looked deeply into Takuya's eyes. For a moment, both boys simply stared into each other's eyes, before Takuya blinked, causing Kouji to blink as well.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," Kouji quickly added, "But maybe you'd feel better if you did. We're best friends after all, and if something's troubling you, then maybe I could be of some help."

Takuya smiled genuinely, and that bright smile caused Kouji to blush. Oh, how he loved that smile. It was one of the many things that made Takuya so adorable in his eyes.

"You're right," Takuya answered, "You're my best friend and I trust you more than anyone else."

Kouji's blush deepened, but he mentally shrugged the blush off and nodded at Takuya's compliment, as he waited for him to continue.

"It's not that I'm exactly troubled though. I'm more confused then anything else. I want to know what happened to me back there. It's not like I was simply lost in thought. I don't have a recollection of anything that happened within the duration of the time that I was catatonic or whatever. I have blanks in my memory, and I don't understand why or how it happened." Takuya explained, in a somewhat frustrated tone.

"I understand what you're saying," Kouji replied in a reassuring tone, "You have every right to be confused. Someone or something is obviously messing with your mind, so, of course you want answers." Kouji looked straight into Takuya's eyes as he continued, "But you don't have to feel this way alone. I'm here for you. I promised that I would help you find those answers, and I never go back on my promises. You and I will figure this out together and everything will be okay, so please don't worry."

Takuya blushed at the determination in Kouji's words. "Thank you for saying that," the goggle-head replied gently.

Kouji nodded, "I meant every single word of it," he answered candidly.

Takuya looked down at his feet. "I think I am troubled by something though," he added.

"What is it?" Kouji asked.

"I just have this really bad feeling about something. I've felt uneasy for the last few hours." Takuya explained as he narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I'm worrying too much. I don't know."

Kouji was slightly startled by Takuya's words. "Well, we definitely need to be cautious. Who knows what to really expect, though. The Digital World doesn't appear to be in turmoil, but looks can be very deceiving." Kouji explained with a sigh.

Takuya sighed as well, "I agree with you. We need to be on our guard at all times, at least until we figure out what's going on."

Kouji smirked, "You agree with me? That's becoming a habit for you, isn't it?"

Takuya poked Kouji's side, causing the raven-haired boy to blush once again, "Yeah, well, I could say the same about you." Takuya allowed another bright smile to come across his face, as he said that.

'There's that smile again.' Kouji thought to himself, 'I could go crazy just thinking about that beautiful smile. Seeing it makes me want to smile too.'

"I'm glad to see that you've cheered up, Takuya," Kouji spoke, "Just try not to worry so much about everything. We'll figure everything out. We've gotten ourselves out of bad situations before, and we'll certainly do it again."

"Okay," Takuya responded as his smile widened, "I'm glad I talked to you about this. I don't feel so worried anymore."

"What are best friends for anyway?" Kouji replied with a shrug.

Takuya then relaxed in his seat, not realizing how tense he actually was before now. He yawned and glanced over at the rest of the group, who had been arguing for over twenty minutes.

"Ya know," Takuya declared in a loud voice, "I don't think you can honestly pick one mecha anime to be the greatest of them all. There are so many good ones, between Eva and the many Gundam series as a whole. Let's not forget, Gundam and Eva aren't the only mecha anime out there either."

Takuya caught the attention of the Junpei, Izumi, Kouichi, and Tomoki when he said that. The four of them stopped arguing and nodded, agreeing with him. Takuya smiled and shot everyone a "V" sign for victory. Izumi smiled, Junpei and Kouichi sweat-dropped, and Tomoki gave Takuya a "thumbs up" sign. Kouji smiled inwardly at the group, before turning his attention fully on Takuya once again.

'He seems to have cheered up,' Kouji thought to himself as he glanced at the goggle-head next to him. 'I'm glad. I don't like it when he's troubled. I want to see that adorable smile of his.' Kouji stared at the brunette with contentment, as he began to think of that lovely smile and those fiery orbs of chocolate that Takuya had for eyes.

Takuya then looked over at Kouji and caught his eyes in his own, causing the dark-haired boy to blush. Kouji quickly turned away; a bit embarrassed that Takuya had caught him staring at him. Takuya gave Kouji a confused look and began to stare down at the floor. Kouichi watched the display with much amusement.

'Poor otouto-chan… His face stays quite red these days,' Kouichi thought to himself as he fought off the urge to laugh.

Kouji found his eyes wandering. They were trying to focus on anything and everything that wasn't his best friend and crush. He didn't want to take the chance of being caught by Takuya again. His eyes fell upon his twin brother, who seemed to be ready to burst out laughing at any moment for some weird reason.

'I don't want to know,' Kouji shuddered, as his gaze, then, fell upon Tomoki.

The youngest digidestined had taken out his D-Tector and was looking at it with a determined expression on his face. The child of ice looked as though he was ready to take on the world, which caused the child of light to smirk. Kouji then glanced over at Junpei, whose annoyed expression had softened. Kouji raised a brow as tiny hearts appeared in the oldest digidestined's eyes. He then realized that Junpei was staring at Izumi.

Kouji found himself shuddering once again. 'I really don't want to know.' He thought.

He turned his gaze over to Izumi and noticed that she was smiling. Curious as to who are what she was smiling at, he followed her gaze to the figure sitting next to him: Takuya. Kouji twitched almost immediately. It hadn't been the first time that he'd caught her staring at Takuya like that.

'Why is she always staring at him with that smile?' Kouji silently asked himself, 'She always smiles at him like that. It's annoying.'

Before Kouji realized it, he found himself staring at Takuya once again. No matter how hard Kouji had tried, he could not tear his eyes away from Takuya. It was impossible to do, and truthfully, Kouji didn't want to. Takuya, however, didn't seem to take notice of the fact that he was a bit of a spectacle to several members of his group. He had turned his gaze from the floor to the window behind him.

Takuya stared out the window for a few minutes, before taking notice that something was coming into view directly ahead. Takuya squinted his eyes to try and see what was up ahead. A village came into view, as well as the strong smell of smoke. Takuya's eyes widened.

"That place…" Takuya's voice trailed off, capturing everyone's attention. Everyone rushed to the windows at once and glanced outward.

"I know that place!" Takuya exclaimed. The trailmon entered the village and quickly made its way to the station, before slowing to a sudden halt.

"Welcome to the Village of Flames," the trailmon said happily, as he dumped the passengers onto the ground.

Everyone got up slowly, with the exception of Takuya, who had gotten up almost directly after falling onto the hard ground. He took a glance around, and then turned to face the trailmon who'd gotten them to this place.

"Why did you bring us here?" Takuya asked.

Everyone else crowded behind their leader, with the exception of Kouji, who stood next to Takuya, waiting for answers.

"It was my job," the trailmon answered in a somewhat bored voice, before taking off.

"Hey wait!" Takuya called, "Who sent us here? Please tell us!"

"Sorry kid, but you're on your own," the trailmon answered. "My job was to bring you here. That's all." The trailmon, then gained speed and left the chosen children in a cloud of steam and dust.

Takuya let out a humongous sigh. "Some help he was, that jerk," he declared as he kicked at his own feet.

"Everything is happening, just like before…" Izumi allowed her voice to trail.

"You're right," Junpei answered with a sigh. "That trailmon didn't give us any answers the first time we came either."

Tomoki glanced down at his own shoes and sighed. "We first arrived at this very village last time too," he replied before taking a quick glance back at Kouji and Kouichi and added, "Well, most of us, anyway."

Izumi let out a sigh. "I guess history is somewhat repeating itself. The only exceptions are that Kouji took the same train we did this time, the fact that Kouichi is here with us and is in both body _and_ spirit, and the fact that Takuya wasn't exactly himself earlier."

"Yeah well, with any luck, our reasons for being here will become apparent soon as well, just like last time," Junpei added.

"Yeah, luck…" Takuya's voice trailed as he glanced down at his own shadow. He stared at it for several seconds, thinking back to the feeling he'd felt earlier on the trailmon.

Why did he have such a feeling of dread? What did it mean? Obviously, something was wrong with the Digital World, or else the digidestined wouldn't have been summoned there. But this feeling…was different. It wasn't the fear that some maniacal bastard was controlling the Digital World, like last time. It wasn't the fear that they'd have to fight powerful enemies again. This fear was different. It made Takuya unusually uneasy. He let out a quick sigh, which instantly brought Kouji to his attention.

"What's wrong?" Kouji asked as he looked into Takuya's eyes, searching for clues of distress.

Takuya shook the thoughts out of his mind and smiled.

"It's nothing," Takuya answered a little too cheerfully. He looked over at Kouji, who obviously wasn't buying it.

"Takuya…" Kouji started, but Takuya cut him off.

"Thinking is something that I really shouldn't do. That's all." Takuya answered a bit more casually, this time.

Kouji was about to retort when Kouichi suddenly spoke up.

"So, what should we do now?" He asked.

Everyone then turned and looked at Takuya, as if he held the answers.

"W-what?" Takuya asked, a bit nervous that everyone was staring at him so intently.

"You heard him; what should we do?" Izumi asked with a sweet grin. Kouji instantly felt himself twitch again.

"Why are you asking me?" Takuya asked, a bit nervously.

"Because you're the leader," Tomoki answered.

Takuya began to look around at his surroundings again. "I can't believe you actually want me as your leader again." He replied, "But I do think that we should take a look around the village, and try to find some food while we're at it."

Takuya's stomach grumbled loudly and everyone began to snicker.

"I'm hungry too. Excellent idea, Takky." Junpei nearly applauded.

Everyone agreed and began to walk off the station platform. Kouji, however, quietly stared at the back of Takuya's head, as he walked with them. Only Kouji had caught notice of what Takuya had just said.

'Why wouldn't he believe that we would want him as our leader? It's like he doubts himself again, just like the time when he asked our opinions of him as soccer captain. Why would he doubt himself, though?' Kouji thought to himself.

A warm breeze caressed the chosen children as they made their way into the Village of Flames. The entire place appeared to be deserted. There were no digimon in sight, and that worried the digidestined. The thick scent of smoke lingered around the village, as smoke and steam rose from the giant smokestacks that were located throughout various sites of the township. Flames were dancing inside the various furnaces that accompanied the smokestacks. The village itself remained unchanged from the last time, with the exception of the emptiness that seemed to accompany it. The village held an eerie silence to it, and Kouji was growing more and more suspicious with each passing minute. Judging from the expression on Takuya's face, he could instantly tell that his best friend was feeling exactly the same way.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Takuya called out, hoping that inhabitants of the village may happen to hear him and decide to show themselves. The village remained silent.

"This place is like a ghost town," Junpei commented.

"I wonder where everyone is?" Kouichi asked.

"I don't like this," Kouji answered in that suspicious tone he was famous for.

"Maybe something bad happened here," Izumi murmured in a slightly nervous manner.

Takuya continued walking to the center of the village, gazing at the sight around him. "Perhaps something has happened," he thought aloud, "But I don't see signs of a struggle. Everything is intact, as far as I can tell. I doubt very much that a battle took place here."

Everyone stared at Takuya in awe, impressed with Takuya's revelation, and the fact that their leader was using his head. Kouji would've been expected to be so observant, but Takuya? Kouji felt himself smile inwardly, proud of the obvious changes of maturity that his best friend seemed to acquire.

"Hey, Takuya onii-chan?" Tomoki asked, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.

"Yes, Tomoki otouto-chan?" Takuya asked as he turned to the younger boy.

"There's a shop over there." Tomoki pointed, "Maybe we should check it out?"

Takuya ruffled the little kid's hat and smiled. "That's a good idea. Maybe we can find out something in there."

Tomoki smiled in contentment, happy to receive praise from the person he most looked up to. The digidestined headed toward what seemed to be the only shop in the village. Takuya slowly opened the door, slightly surprised that the door was, in fact, open.

"Watch your backs," Kouji warned everyone. "The door may not be locked, but who knows what's waiting for us inside."

Everyone entered the shop, expecting anything and everything. The shop seemed vacant, however, with the exception of the items it contained.

"Hello?" Takuya asked, "Is anyone in here?"

The shop offered no reply. Takuya sighed and took a look around, whilst everyone else followed, with the exception of Kouji, who remained at his best friend's side.

Takuya gasped. "This shop is filled with…"

"Candy!" Junpei happily exclaimed. "This place is getting better by the minute."

It was true. Every shelf within the shop was filled with candies and sweets of sorts. Junpei was in heaven.

Takuya's stomach rumbled loudly. "I'm so hungry," He pouted.

Junpei put his arm on Takuya's shoulder, agreeing.

"So am I," the oldest digidestined said as he drooled at the sight of pocky on one of the shelves.

Both boys sighed in unison as their stomachs hungrily growled. Junpei suddenly got an idea.

"Hey, what if we took some? I mean, it's not like anyone's here or anything." Junpei proclaimed, as his hunger pangs were starting to get the best of him.

Kouji shook his head. "That would be like stealing," He answered, in a lecturing tone.

"Look, we don't have money or food," Junpei tried to reason, "All of these delicious treats are right here, practically begging us to take them. This village appears to be abandoned. I doubt anyone will miss what we take."

Kouji opened his mouth to retort when Junpei quickly cut him off in an attempt to continue.

"Besides," Junpei spoke with a slightly irritated tone, "We have to eat to survive. We may not come across food again for days. I don't like to think of this as stealing, but merely surviving. I think the owners of this shop would understand. After all, we did restore peace to their world. They'd probably be happy, knowing that they helped the legendary warriors."

With that, everyone began to think hard about all of this. Everyone's stomachs were growling, even Kouji's. They'd been stuck on that trailmon for such a long time.

"Junpei has a point," Takuya replied. His eyes looked as though he was in deep concentration, trying to decide what was best.

"Are you actually considering what he said?" Kouji asked in disbelief.

"I am," Takuya answered, "I don't like the idea of taking things without asking, but guys, we need to eat soon before we pass out. We're hours away from the forest, so we can't exactly run off to find meat apples."

"Then, it's settled," Junpei said rather excitedly, "I've got dibs on the pocky!"

"Wait, Junpei," Takuya called, causing the child of thunder to stop in his tracks, "We should at least write a letter to the shopkeepers, telling them who we are and why we're taking their items without paying for them. After that, we need to write up an inventory of everything we've taken. We need to take only what we need, as to not burden the owners of this shop. This isn't an all-you-can-eat buffet. We also should promise to pay the owners back somehow. Maybe they'll understand…"

Everyone nodded at their leader's suggestion, including Kouji, though reluctantly. It was obvious that Takuya disliked the idea just as much as he did. With that, everyone proceeded to taking enough candy to at least fill their stomachs. It wasn't very nutritious, but hey, it was edible.

Kouji sighed. He never was a fan of sweets. Candy was okay, but he liked things of a more nutritional value. He saw an aisle devoted to dried fruits and raised a brow.

'This will have to do,' He thought to himself.

Takuya found some paper and a pen. He began to write a letter to the shopkeepers when he found a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see that the owner of the hand was none other than a smiling Izumi.

"You'd better let me write that," She teased, "You write chicken scratch. We do want the letter to be legible, right?"

Takuya handed the pen to Izumi and frowned, "My handwriting's not _that_ bad," he pouted, "but I guess you might be right." He then, smiled a bit sheepishly.

Izumi returned the smile and got right to work. Kouji noticed the little exchange from afar and twitched again.

"Is my little brother jealous?" Kouichi teased, causing Kouji to jump.

Kouji turned to face his older twin brother and glared.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kouji grumbled.

"Oh, but I think you do," Kouichi answered with a huge grin, obviously used to his little brother's glares after spending a year with him.

Kouichi pointed at Izumi, whom was happily jotting down a letter to the shopkeeper, and Takuya, whom was standing over her shoulder, telling her what to write.

"So what?" Kouji asked, somewhat irritably, and then added, "Izumi is Takuya's friend too. If she wants to help him with something, then fine."

"You're trying so hard to convince yourself of that, aren't you?" Kouichi replied in a whisper.

"What's your point?" Kouji asked quietly, while glancing back at Izumi and Takuya.

"My point is that you need to be more honest with your feelings, otouto-chan." Kouichi answered in a whisper, "Why don't you tell him how you feel?"

"Please don't start, onii-chan," Kouji whispered with a sigh. "I've heard this at least two hundred times, by now."

"Sorry little brother, but you'll continue to hear this until something clicks in that stubborn head of yours." Kouichi answered him, proving to be quite persistent himself.

"What do you expect me to say to him?" Kouji asked; keeping his voice below a whisper for fear that the goggle-head nearby might hear him.

" 'Hey Takuya, let's talk. I really like you a lot.' I think that would be a good beginning." Kouichi spoke in a suggestive tone. Kouji frowned.

"It's not that simple," Kouji whispered as he glanced back at Takuya, who was still helping Izumi, "It's not like I can just do that."

"Don't you think he deserves to know? Don't you think that you deserve happiness?" Kouichi asked.

"Kouichi, I can't tell him." Kouji answered dejectedly, "I will not ruin what I already have with him. I won't throw away our friendship over a stupid crush that I'll likely get over soon."

"A stupid crush, is it?" Kouichi smirked, "What makes you think that this _stupid crush_ will rip your friendship apart?"

Kouji sighed in frustration as he began to nibble on some dried fruit, "Because things would change. I can handle the fact that Takuya may not return my feelings. I don't, however, think I can handle it if things got awkward and our friendship fell apart."

Kouichi nodded and waited for his brother to take a breath and continue.

"Takuya's friendship means way too much to me," Kouji explained. "He's my best friend and I don't ever want that to change. If I confess to him, then he might freak out. If I lose his friendship, I don't know what I'll do."

"Kouji, I think you're worrying far too much," Kouichi replied with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure that Takuya's not a homophobe. That one guy on his soccer team is gay and Takuya seems to be okay with that. I don't think Takuya would allow something like this to come between the two of you. He wouldn't kick you to the curb. Your friendship means a lot to him as well."

"I'm not saying that Takuya might have a problem with my gender preference," Kouji answered, "I'm saying that things might get awkward between us if he doesn't feel the same way. Things would never be the same again. Things would grow awkward and we'd most likely grow apart. I don't want to be separated from him. If he rejected my love, it would hurt…but if he rejected my friendship because of all this, it would kill me. Our friendship means everything to me."

"But what if Takuya returns your feelings?" Kouichi asked. Kouji eyes narrowed in deep thought.

"That will never happen," Kouji sighed as he shook his head. "Besides, this is just a simple crush. It isn't worth causing an uproar. I can deal with this. Our friendship is enough to subdue me. As long as I always remain by his side…"

"Okay, but let's just say that someone else confesses their feelings for him. What if he ends up with someone else? Will friendship be enough for you then?" Kouichi asked as he frowned, "Can you stand the thought of Takuya being with someone else while you watch from the sidelines?"

Kouji's eyes widened. He obviously never considered this. He suddenly glared toward Izumi's direction.

"You'd regret it for the rest of your life," Kouichi spoke, "Someone else would have him by their side instead. I don't want to see you regretting your actions, otouto-chan, because I know you'll hate yourself for it. I want you to be happy, little brother. Besides, think of Takuya's happiness. Who's to say that he wouldn't be happy with you…"

"Onii-chan," Kouji answered, "This is just a simple crush, as I keep mentioning. It'll go away, and everything will return to normalcy. I won't risk our friendship over this. I'll get over it."

"Whatever you say," Kouichi sighed quietly, as Kouji headed out the door leading to outside.

Kouji sighed. 'Could Takuya really be happy with me?' He thought to himself. He, then, shook his head. 'That's impossible. No way can he possibly harbor feelings for me. Besides, Takuya's friendship is enough to sustain me. This is just a simple crush.'

Kouji calmly leaned against a pole that stood across from the candy shop. He stared up at the smoke-filled sky. He glanced over at one of the many furnaces and noticed the flames dancing around through a large glass window. Flames…Fire…

"Fire," Kouji heard himself say before he mentally bashed himself for his wandering thoughts, as that smiling child of flames appeared in his mind. He could not get that goggle-head out of his mind for the life of him.

'Being in the Village of Flames doesn't help matters.' He smirked to himself in slight amusement.

Kouji closed his eyes as he continued to lean against the pole. A few minutes later, he heard a door shut behind him. Someone had obviously come out of the candy shop. He heard pairs of footsteps.

"I didn't know they sold pocky in the Digital World," came Tomoki's voice.

"Yeah, neither did I." Came another voice, sounding a bit amused.

Kouji's eyes jolted open. It was _his_ voice. He glanced over to see Tomoki and Takuya, standing in front of the candy shop. He watched the two boys, especially the object of his affections, closely.

"So, is Izumi finished with the letter?" Tomoki asked.

"No, she's trying to take inventory with Junpei. Knowing those two, that may take a while." Takuya sighed.

Tomoki gave the older brunette a worried smile. "You seem a bit tired, onii-chan." Tomoki said.

Takuya grinned back at the young boy. "I'm okay, don't worry," he said.

Tomoki dug into his pockets and handed Takuya a piece of candy. "You were so caught up in that letter, that you forgot all about taking some for yourself."

"Were you watching me?" Takuya asked, a bit bemused.

Tomoki laughed, heartily. "I have to look after you, onii-chan, especially since Shinya-kun isn't here to do so." The child of ice explained, a bit sheepishly.

"Geez, I thought I was the big brother here," Takuya answered with a laugh as Tomoki grinned widely.

Takuya ruffled the boy's hair and smiled as he took the candy. Kouji smiled warmly at the scene. Takuya and Tomoki really were like siblings. Seeing those two warmed his heart these days.

'Then again, just seeing Takuya's smile warms my heart these days,' Kouji mentally corrected himself. He then watched as Takuya slid the dark pinkish piece of strawberry candy into his mouth.

Kouji found himself unable to turn away from Takuya once again. He silently hoped that he wouldn't be caught this time. He began to take in the boy's appearance. That's when he noticed…

'Takuya isn't wearing his hat,' Kouji noted to himself.

Kouji always admired Takuya's features, but now that he was without the hat, he looked positively breathtaking. Kouji hadn't seen Takuya hatless very many times, save for when the boy was playing soccer or swimming. Takuya's dark brown hair was absolutely radiant, as wavy, curly, wild wisps of it seemed to glow in the sunlight. His hair was so untamed and wild, and yet, it suited him. It would've been considered messy on anyone else, but on Takuya, it made him even more adorable, in Kouji's eyes. Takuya's wild hair matched his personality right down to the last strand. Takuya's goggles, which had been resting on his head for the better part of the day, had somehow slid down from his head, and were now hanging loosely around his succulent little neck.

There was also that tan…that gorgeous tan that made Takuya look as though his skin was glowing in the sunlight. His somewhat muscular, yet sleek, slender figure was also a plus in Kouji's eyes. His entire body seemed so huggable. That's when Kouji noticed just how much Takuya had grown over the past year. He had grown taller, although he was still about half an inch shorter than Kouji himself. Kouji had grown over the past year too, after all. Still though, Takuya was a little taller than Izumi now, and was no longer subjected to her teasing of his short height.

The most captivating thing about Takuya was his eyes. They were the most unique shade of brown that Kouji had ever seen. They were a dark, chocolate color, tinged with a shade of red, making them appear a bit bright as well. Dark…bright…Takuya's eyes contradicted logic, just as the owner of those remarkable eyes did. Kouji loved how tiny flames seemed to dance in those eyes when Takuya was determined…or even when the light hit them at just the right angle. Kouji could stare at those captivatingly haunting eyes forever, for he felt that Takuya's eyes were the very key to his soul, and Kouji knew the boy's soul well.

Kouji blushed as he watched his crush laugh with Tomoki, before it stifled off into a smile.

Gods, that smile, it could make anyone melt. Takuya's smile was so warm and inviting. It provided comfort in times of trouble and need. It provided warmth when one felt so cold. It provided company when one felt lonely. It provided security when one felt uneasy. And that heart-felt laugh? It had a similar affect, except his laughter sounded like a wonderful harmony. Kouji could never get enough of his _simple_ crush.

Kouji's eyes fell upon Takuya's lips. They were small, yet plump…usually a light pink color, though tinted a bright red at the moment, due to the candy inside the boy's mouth. They weren't a messy kind of sticky red, which young children often got from eating candy and allowing it to leave the traces of their lips. They were simply tinted a nice, neat shade of red. Those lips…they looked so incredibly kissable, at the moment.

'I wonder what he would taste like?' Kouji thought as he continued to stare at Takuya's pretty lips. 'I'll bet his kisses are like heaven. Maybe he tastes like chocolate…though at the moment, he probably tastes like strawberries. Either way, Takuya would taste very sweet.' Kouji blushed as he imagined himself being showered with sweet, strawberry kisses.

It was such a pleasant thought, but was sadly interrupted when Kouji felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He turned to find Kouichi with a huge smirk on his face.

"Just a simple crush, hmm?" Kouichi teased as Kouji felt his cheeks burn.

"Please don't start," Kouji groaned quietly. "You've lectured me enough for one day."

"I won't lecture," Kouichi answered in a teasing smile that resembled that of a cheshire cat.

Kouji sighed, wondering what his dear twin might say to him this time. He heard Kouichi draw in a breath, preparing to speak.

"However, dear brother, I think I feel obligated to say that if you keep staring at Takuya so intently, then you may develop x-ray vision." Kouichi whispered into his younger twin's ear, before bursting into a small fit of laughter.

Kouji quickly tore his gaze away from Takuya and turned bright red. He then scowled at the child of darkness.

"I'm glad to see you're amused," Kouji snapped. "I think I feel obligated to say that you sound like a laughing hyena."

"Insult all you like, otouto-chan," Kouichi sniggered, "It doesn't change a single thing."

Kouji glared at the ever-smiling Kouichi and was about to retort when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. The child of light turned and was met by a pair of reddish-brown eyes…_his_ eyes.

"Hey, guys, I didn't see you over here," Takuya greeted the twins with a smile.

Kouji stiffened and quickly composed himself as Kouichi smiled back, nodding at the boy's greeting.

"Were you two actually arguing a few moments ago?" Takuya asked, a bit concerned.

"Not really," Kouichi grinned, "You know how brothers are, especially little brothers."

Kouji nudged Kouichi in the ribs at that comment. 'I'm only three minutes younger than he is.' Kouji silently complained.

"Do I ever," Takuya chuckled, "I was wondering when the two of you would break into an argument of sorts. I was beginning to wonder whether or not you were brothers at all. Shinya and I argue a lot too…although not as much as we used to."

Kouichi laughed and glanced at his younger twin, taking notice that Kouji was still glaring at him. He decided to switch the subject, and promptly did so.

"Takuya, how are you feeling?" Kouichi asked, "I'm a little concerned for you, after everything that you've gone through today."

The glare from Kouji's face instantly vanished as he anxiously awaited Takuya's answer.

"Oh, I'm fine," Takuya answered with a grin, "There's no need for concern. I don't feel strange or anything. I don't feel as though I'm going to pass out or fall into a trance at any given moment."

"Is that how you felt right before it happened?" Kouichi asked.

"Actually no, I didn't have a warning or anything. It just happened. I didn't even know it took place until I woke up on the trailmon." Takuya answered, with a sigh. He had already explained this before, but with overprotective friends like Kouji and Kouichi, redundancy was obviously a necessity when it came to his health. He decided to turn the tables.

"So, how are you, Kouichi?" Takuya asked.

"Huh? Me?" Kouichi countered, in a surprised tone.

Kouji eyed Takuya suspiciously, taking note at how he seemed to enjoy switching the subject in conversations at times.

"Yes, you," Takuya smirked, "This is your first time being in the Digital World in your actual body. You should definitely have data this time." Takuya paused, and then asked, "Do you feel any differently from the last time at all?"

Kouji raised his brow in interest. "That's a good question," The child of light replied, revealing his interest in his brother's feelings and thoughts.

Kouichi narrowed his eyes in deep thought, and then, smiled. "I don't suppose I feel any differently, other than having the knowledge of how I actually got here this time." Kouichi answered. "Besides," he added before sweat-dropping, "if you'll remember, I didn't exactly know that I was a spirit last time until the Royal Knights told me."

Kouji and Takuya both sweat-dropped at this, as well. "At least we know you're safe this time," both said at the same time. They then stopped, realizing what they'd done and blushed.

Kouichi smirked at the sight before him, then noticed Tomoki happily eating pocky in the corner where Takuya had left him.

"Hey Tomoki, is that strawberry pocky?" Kouichi asked.

"Yup, and it tastes as good as the pocky in the human world," Tomoki smiled, "Do you want some?"

"Sure," Kouichi beamed, "I'll never turn down pocky."

"That's a good philosophy to have," Takuya chuckled, not noticing the smile Kouji donned at his cute remark.

Tomoki happily handed the older twin some pocky before offering some to Kouji.

"No thanks," Kouji shook his head. Tomoki stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" Kouji asked, wondering what could alarm the boy so.

"You turned down pocky!" Tomoki exclaimed, in shock.

Kouji looked at the child of ice weirdly, as Takuya and Kouichi both sweat-dropped.

"Kouji doesn't like sweets very much," Takuya explained in his best friend's defense. "It's rare to catch him eating them."

Tomoki nodded his head in slight understanding. Kouji, however, beamed at the fact that Takuya knew him so well.

"Actually," Kouichi commented, "My brother is quite fond of chocolate." He was grinning evilly all the while.

Kouji suddenly let out a cough and glared at Kouichi, knowing exactly where he was getting at. Takuya's eyes widened, however.

"Really?" Takuya asked in awestruck, somewhat disappointed at himself for not knowing this bit of knowledge about his best friend, "I'll have to go get you some. I saw Junpei pocketing all kinds of chocolate." Takuya quickly ran back into the shop, leaving an amused Kouichi, an impressed Tomoki, and an exasperated Kouji behind.

Kouichi glanced over at his younger twin, noting that he'd made Kouji glare so many times today. The latest glare was an especially venomous one, and so he decided to behave himself and keep his distance for the rest of the hour.

"Hey Tomoki, let's go eat pocky over there," Kouichi pointed at the corner opposite of the one they were just in.

"Sure thing," Tomoki grinned as the two boys quickly made their way over to the corner.

'Maybe I went too far this time,' Kouichi nervously thought to himself.

Honestly, Kouichi hadn't meant to tease his brother so much about his _simple_ crush. However, after spending a year having to watch the two dance around each other's feelings, with all the cautious flirting, stolen glances, and blushing, particularly on Kouji's behalf, it was getting a bit tiresome. Besides, Kouji was drifting into unhappiness because of this crush of his. He longed for Takuya so much at times that it was nearly unbearable and Kouichi witnessed it all. Kouji wished for his affections to be returned, but was too afraid to tell Takuya for fear of rejection. He feared that his best friend would no longer want to be near him. Kouji's greatest fear was that the person who rescued him from the loneliness would be the one to send him back to that existence. He longed to tell Takuya about his true feelings, but refused to do so. When Kouji was away from Takuya, it hurt. When Kouji was with Takuya, sometimes that hurt too. It was difficult being in love with your best friend; being so close and yet so far away. It was tearing the child of light up inside, and Kouichi knew it. He knew that Takuya was much more than just a simple crush to his brother. Kouichi only wanted happiness for his brother. Someone needed to take the initiative. If Takuya could just get the hint…

Kouichi once again sighed in thinking of his brother's predicament. Takuya could make Kouji the happiest guy in the world and vice-versa. The child of darkness only wanted what was best for both his brother and his closest friend.

The loud sound of the door closing broke the eerie silence that had taken place outside the candy shop. Takuya ran over to Kouji with some chocolate pocky in his hand.

"I had to practically beg Junpei for this," Takuya smiled as he handed the sweet piece of heaven over to Kouji.

"You really didn't have to!" Kouji exclaimed.

"Stop being modest and eat up," Takuya smiled as he shoved the pocky into Kouji's mouth.

Kouji blushed madly as he ate the pocky. Takuya continued to grin widely, as if he'd accomplished some great feat. Kouichi watched the scene with much interest and amusement.

'I admit, they're still cute to watch,' Kouichi nearly laughed aloud.

The adorable scene was cut short when Junpei and Izumi made their way outdoors.

"We finished the letter!" Izumi shouted happily.

"Excellent work, Izumi," Takuya commended her. Izumi beamed at this and Kouji found himself twitching again.

"Okay Takky, what's next on the agenda?" Junpei asked, satisfied with his hoards of sweet treats.

"Maybe we should continue to explore this town," Takuya suggested. "Maybe we've missed something. It doesn't make sense that the Village of Flames is so deserted with no evidence, as to where everyone is."

"That sounds like a plan," Kouichi answered, "Perhaps we've overlooked something."

Takuya nodded. "I was thinking that maybe we should each split up into groups," he implied. "We could cover more ground this way."

Everyone nodded in agreement, as Takuya continued. "If anyone finds anything, then we can contact each other with the D-Tectors. We can all meet back here in an hour or so, if nothing is found. Does that sound good to you guys?"

"Yup," everyone chimed in unison.

Takuya turned to walk toward the northern part of town. "I think I'll go this way," he smiled.

"Wait for me," Izumi called as she started to follow the brunette. Kouji watched all of this happen before his eyes.

'Can you stand the thought of Takuya being with someone else while you watch from the sidelines?' Kouichi's words echoed through Kouji's mind from earlier.

Kouji suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Takuya's arm. Takuya turned and faced the bandana-clad boy with surprise written all over his face, as Izumi's eyes also widened in shock.

"Um…"

Kouji struggled to find the words as Takuya stared at him in shock and Izumi eyed him suspiciously.

"Uh…. I was thinking, maybe it would be best if _I _went with Takuya instead." Kouji spoke as he somehow managed to find the calmness that he needed in order to speak. "Takuya and I were always a team before. If anything should happen, it'd be best if we faced it together."

Takuya flashed Kouji a small smile as Izumi looked at Kouji weirdly. Kouichi decided to intervene.

"Hey Izumi, let's go this way," the older twin suggested as he pointed to the western part of town.

Izumi shot Kouichi a confused look. The child of darkness decided to cover his tracks.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that lasagna recipe anyway. While we're searching, you can tell me all about it." Kouichi lamely tried to explain himself. Izumi sighed and gave a weak smile.

"Okay," she simply said as she followed him. No one noticed the eyebrow she raised toward Kouji's direction as she walked away.

Kouichi was impressed with Kouji's sudden move. 'Way to go, little brother,' He thought happily as he dragged a confused Izumi along with him.

As Takuya and Kouji walked in one direction, and Izumi and Kouichi walked in another, Junpei and Tomoki began to walk to the southern part of the town.

"Somehow, I didn't think I'd be paired with Izumi," Junpei sighed. "There's just way too much drama going on in this little group."

"You're telling me," Tomoki added as the two continued south.

Meanwhile…

Kouji and Takuya walked alongside each other in silence. Takuya was taking in observation of everything around them, searching for clues in hopes of finding answers of the missing digimons' whereabouts. Kouji, however, was lost in his own thoughts.

'These feelings are really starting to get me into trouble.' The child of light thought to himself, 'I can't believe that I actually took Takuya away from Izumi like that. I mean, I do have a crush on him, but still…she's his friend too. Hell, she's _my_ friend. What kind of a friend am I? She has a right to be close to him, right? This is getting way out of hand. Still though, I can't help but be jealous, no matter how ridiculous it may be. It's not like I can control it, no matter how hard I try.'

Kouji repositioned his slipping bandana, not noticing that Takuya was glancing at him as he did so. The dark-haired boy returned to his thoughts.

'Can you stand the thought of Takuya being with someone else while you watch from the sidelines?' Kouichi's words once again echoed loudly through Kouji's confused mind.

'I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't mind,' Kouji mentally answered. 'Is it so wrong of me to want him for myself? Does that make me a selfish person? Maybe this is more than a simple crush after all.'

Kouji turned his gaze over to Takuya, drinking in the boy's appearance once more. Takuya looked so determined and serious as he continued to search around for clues that Kouji couldn't help but smile. Takuya's expressions were too adorable. He continued to stare at the boy walking next to him. Suddenly, Takuya broke his concentration of their surroundings and looked over at Kouji, managing to capture his eyes in his own. The dark-haired boy felt his cheeks burning deep crimson. He knew he had been caught again.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long for me to write this one. I've been busy with classes and work. Biology wants me dead, I tell ya. I didn't really like this chapter at all. I love writing angst, and this chapter was far from that. For a while, I had some difficulty writing this one. The other two chapters practically wrote themselves, so I actually had to do some thinking for this one. As you've just found out (if you read this), this chapter served as the "hinty-blushy" chapter. Come on, you knew it was coming. I know you guys want to find out what's going on with Takuya, but I promise that I will get to that soon. I'm not cruel enough to leave plot-holes lying around. This chapter is about as far away from the plot (and as light-hearted) as it's going to get. I did enjoy writing the little hints though. I hope I didn't scare you guys away with the candy shop idea…it's one of my muses, unfortunately. I wanted the wonderful pocky to make a guest appearance, lol. One could say I'm obsessed, but then, who isn't these days? Pocky is a wonderful, wonderful thing. 

Before Izumi-fans stab me, I'm not an Izumi flamer, I swear! I actually like her character. Just keep reading and you'll see… I don't hate a single member of the digidestined in this season, which is odd for me.

I hope I'm not making Kouji seem too ooc (you know, with all the smiling and everything). If I am, I apologize, but this does take place after the series and he admitted in the very last episode, that he was happy now, no longer feeling the need to be angry. The only thing that bothers him now is the fact that he can't admit his feelings to Takuya for fear of losing their wonderful friendship. I mean seriously, wouldn't you be afraid of telling your best friend (regardless of gender) your feelings for them? Because trust me, if it doesn't work out, then you really can lose them…trust me, I know.

I made Kouichi a bit mischievous, but it's only because he cares. Besides, Kouji and Kouichi are brothers and have spent a year getting to know each other better, so naturally, they're probably going to argue a little. They still get along way better than I do with my brothers. I'd love to have Kouichi for a brother, instead of the three evil ones I have.

hands all of the reviewers some pocky I hope you guys like chocolate as much as Kouji apparently does, lol. Thanks so much for reading this, everyone. Your reviews really encourage me to keep this up. I hope you guys don't hate me too much for dragging everything out…or for those lovely cliffhangers that I love to write so much. Keep reading and writing, you guys! I'll try to not make my next author's note into a novel.

**KellyQ**: Thank you! Takouji does rock, doesn't it? Everything shall be explained soon…

**Takuya**: Thanks! I'm glad you like it.

**Dragi**: Thank you! Takuya's 'condition' will be explained very shortly.

**Kenzy-chan**: hugs back Thank you! I feel so honored that you added me to your favorites. I hope this horrible chapter didn't change your mind, lol.

**Chatay**: Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way. I was worried that my writing might confuse people. I'm so weird that way.

**MilliKilo**: Thank you so much. Here's the next chapter, as requested.

**Demonmaster**: Jealous Kouji is yummy, ne? Hehe, innocent little Taku… pats his head Watches are useful things, huh?

**Angel Spirit**: glomp LOL! I'm glad you liked Kouichi's little quote. I really want him to take part in guiding his misguided twin toward his love, lol. I'm so glad you like long-chaptered fics, because I don't think I can write a short one to save my life, lol. Kouji's always adorable, isn't he? I just hope he doesn't get an ulcer from worrying about Taku so much…or a popped vein from being so jealous. I hope this was worth the wait. I hated this chapter, as you already know. I'm glad to be done with it so I can move on to the good stuff. I shall email you if I run into any problems, don't worry. You'll grow sick of hearing from me. And thank you so much for reviewing.

**The Angsty Gothic Angel**: Thanks! Here it is, lol. Isn't that a song or something? I'm such a baka…

**Evilchick**: Don't worry; I can be impatient at times myself. Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it.

**Cat**: Thanks so much.

Review for me, if you have the time. You guys are very sweet.


	4. Much Ado About A Prophecy

**The Firelight Prophecies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That belongs to Toei Animation. If I owned it, Kouji would've been present and watching when Takuya faced ShadowSeraphimon. That could've been so great…

Warning: This fic contains **yaoi/shounen-ai**, which is the coupling of two males. If you do not like this kind of coupling or you hate the fact that this is a **Takouji/Koukuya** fic (the coupling between Takuya and Kouji and vice-versa) then you should probably hit that nifty "back" button and search for a fic that's best for you. Any flames shall be poked and prodded by use of a spork.

Synopsis: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes to survive? Will the shadows threaten to separate the two once and for all? Koukuya/Takouji fluff in later chapters… I really suck at writing summaries.

Setting: This story takes place one year after the series. In this chapter, the digidestined is in the Village of Flames, located in the Digital World.

Written by: Sailor Epyon

* * *

Kouji turned his gaze over to Takuya, drinking in the boy's appearance once more. Takuya looked so determined and serious as he continued to search around for clues that Kouji couldn't help but smile. Takuya's expressions were too adorable. He continued to stare at the boy walking next to him. Suddenly, Takuya broke his concentration of their surroundings and looked over at Kouji, managing to capture his eyes in his own. The dark-haired boy felt his cheeks burning deep crimson. He knew he had been caught again.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Much Ado About a Prophecy**

Takuya continued to stare into Kouji's eyes, as if searching for something. It had been over thirty seconds now, and Kouji was doing absolutely nothing to tear himself away from Takuya's intense gaze. How could he escape those chocolate eyes anyway? He had no intention of doing so. Kouji was using this precious time to stare back into those captivating brown eyes he loved so much.

'What will he say to me?' Kouji thought to himself. 'He caught me staring at him again. What will he do, I wonder?'

Takuya suddenly blinked, causing Kouji to blink as well. Takuya drew in a breath, preparing for speech. Kouji also took in a breath in sighing. He was like a rabbit captured in a trap. How would he get himself out of this little mess?

"I've really missed you," Takuya suddenly declared.

Kouji's eyes widened. Had he heard him right? Takuya had missed _him_?

"Uh, what did you say?" Kouji asked, slightly perplexed. Of all the things he'd expected from his best friend's mouth, this had certainly not been one of them.

Takuya nervously fumbled his fingers, as the two continued walking.

"Well, I haven't been around so much lately," Takuya answered in a small voice, "I've been so busy with everything, and I haven't really been able to hang out with anyone…especially you."

Kouji felt himself smile. 'Takuya misses me. He said he _misses_ me. Maybe he misses me as much as I miss him.'

"I miss you too," Kouji said, with a grin that he wasn't about to hide. "I miss hanging out with you."

"Really?" Takuya asked, as his eyes grew wide.

"Of course." Kouji answered. "It's been a very boring summer without you."

"I'm sorry," Takuya apologized a bit sheepishly, "But haven't the others kept you well entertained?"

"They've tried and I love hanging out with all of them," Kouji replied, "But I really miss hanging out with my best friend, you know? You're the most amusing of all. I'm never bored when I hang out with you." Kouji drew in another breath and began to speak again. "As for your apology, don't worry about it. I know you have responsibilities. It isn't your fault."

A bright smile appeared on Takuya's face. "Thanks, Kouji, I feel the exact same way." The child of flames answered. "I like hanging out with you too."

Kouji's cheeks turned red once again. 'He likes hanging out with me,' His mind reeled.

"I should have more time on my hands once soccer season is finished." Takuya spoke. "The tournaments will be finished in a week or so. After that, things should be less hectic. No matter what happens at this point, I'm really proud of the team."

"You should be proud," Kouji complimented, "You've led your team to every victory this year. You're still undefeated, right?"

"We are," Takuya answered, "But you know, I don't care if we win or lose. It's just so much fun. I'm glad my team allowed me the chance of leading them."

"Hey, they've benefited from having you as their captain," Kouji commented, "I'm going to love saying this, but I told you so."

"Yeah, you did," Takuya answered with a smile, recalling the time when Kouji had given him the confidence he needed to be captain. "It's been a very fun year, but I can't wait to have a little more time on my hands. Like I said, I've really missed you guys a lot and being captain of the soccer team kind of takes a lot out of you."

"Well, you do way more than your share," Kouji spoke in a preachy manner, "I mean, they should practically go ahead and call you 'Coach Kanbara'. You do way more than Coach Aono ever did. Are you going to consider the position as captain for next year as well?"

"Maybe," mused Takuya, "But if I do take the position again, then things are going to have to change. This lack of time is a huge inconvenience, you know?"

"I know," Kouji answered. If anyone knew of what an inconvenience the lack of time was, then it was definitely Kouji. After all, he missed Takuya so much at times, that he could hardly contain it within himself.

The wind suddenly began to pick up. Kouji, who was right next to Takuya, suddenly took notice of a scent of fragrant flowers or sweet fruit. It was the scent Takuya's hair.

'What is that shampoo?' Kouji pondered, before Takuya snapped him out of his thoughts.

"So how are things with you?" Takuya asked. "Everything okay on your end?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Kouji replied. "Everything is definitely fine with me now. The past year was rough, as you know, but things finally seem to be looking up."

"I'm glad for you," Takuya answered, as a smile reached his brown orbs. "Really Kouji, no one deserves to be happy more than you."

'I could say the same about you,' Kouji thought to himself. 'All I want is for you to be happy and safe, Takuya.'

"Thanks," Kouji, then, answered, as his blush deepened. He then took notice of a yawning Takuya. The scene was adorable, but Kouji quickly shook the thought out of his mind. He once again noticed the bags under Takuya's eyes from earlier, not to mention Tomoki's previous comments about Takuya's weariness.

"Takuya, you seem really tired. Are you alright?" Kouji asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm fine," Takuya answered. "I just haven't been sleeping very well lately. It's no big deal. It'll soon pass, most likely."

Kouji eyed Takuya suspiciously. 'Kouichi did tell me once that he felt as though Takuya was overworking himself.'

Kouji was about to retort, when Takuya suddenly stopped, dead in his tracks. Both boys had come upon a small cliff, overlooking a large ravine.

"What is it?" Kouji asked.

"I'm going to go down there," Takuya suddenly blurted, and, then, started to climb downward. Kouji blinked and followed him.

The cliff wasn't really that difficult of a climb, thankfully for Kouji. The poor boy kept wondering what could've possessed Takuya to suddenly climb down a cliff. Nevertheless, he followed him. When they reached the ground, Kouji let out a sigh of relief. He glanced over at Takuya and shot him a questioning look. Takuya began to walk over toward a platform, surrounded by flames, and Kouji followed him until they stood right across from it. The symbol of fire could barely be seen on the platform's floors through the barrier of flames. One had to squint their eyes to see it. Both boys could feel the heat radiating off the flames, although one certain individual seemed to bask in it.

"Takuya?" Kouji asked, curious as to what significance this place held to Takuya.

Takuya's eyes were closed, as if he was enjoying the intense heat that the flame barriers gave off. He opened his eyes and gave a wry smile.

"This is where it all started for me," Takuya spoke. "This is where I first gained the spirit of flames."

Kouji nodded, and gazed into the flames. "This place is special to you then, like the forest is to me."

"Yeah, I guess so," Takuya answered. "You weren't with us when I first got my spirits, but I had to save Tomoki, Neemon, and Bokomon from Cerberumon. We fought right over there." Takuya pointed over to the right of the platform. "When I got my spirits, it felt so incredible. I think it was when I felt most alive."

"I'd heard Tomoki talk about it once," Kouji answered. "I felt the same when I first got my spirits. So I guess you volunteered to go in this direction so you could pay some kind of tribute to this place?"

Takuya laughed a bit nervously. "You caught me," He snickered, "The last time we came here, I didn't get the chance to visit this place because we had to defend it against the Royal Jerks. They ended up sucking the data dry from this place."

"Yes, but we restored it, thank goodness." Kouji answered. "And speaking of the Royal Pains in the Asses…those two were so incredibly lame. How did they manage to beat us so many times?"

Takuya suddenly cracked up and burst out laughing, much to Kouji's delight. "Who knows?" He giggled, "Do you remember how they cackled? They bellowed like goats."

Kouji began to laugh as well. "I know. Dynasmon wasn't exactly sharp around the edges, was he?"

"What about Crusadermon?" Takuya sniggered before clearing his throat, "Oh _Dynasmon_, you've got milk on your chin. It's so _beautiful_."

Kouji continued laughing at Takuya's sarcastic attempts of impersonating Crusadermon, before joining with his own adaptation of Dynasmon. "_Crusadermon_, fret not; we need more data! By the way, what do I do with this sharp _pointy_ thing again?"

"It's a _sword_, dearest Dynasmon, and _I_ do not _fret_. Now please, allow me the chance to continue looking at this piece of lint, for it is _beautiful_," Takuya spoke in his greatest attempt of impersonating the former Royal Knight that had once been clad in pink.

Both boys were laughing at each other, goofing off, and having a blast. Perhaps it wouldn't have been funny to anyone else. It probably wouldn't have been funny to Kouji in the past, but it was hilarious now, especially after everything that both he and Takuya had gone through together.

Kouji was the first to halt his laughter, as he stared into the flames once more.

"Takuya?" He asked. "Do you think we'll regain our spirits? Do you think we'll be able to spirit evolve once more?"

"Sure," Takuya answered, "Don't you feel them?"

Kouji blinked in confusion, as he turned to look at Takuya. "Feel what?" He asked.

"Our spirits. Can't you sense them? We already have them. Our spirits have been with us since we reached the Digital World." Takuya replied.

"Takuya, are you sure?" Kouji asked, in slight disbelief.

Takuya sighed and nodded simultaneously. "Our spirits are with us, Kouji. Check your D-Tector if you don't believe me. Our spirits returned to us the moment we entered the Digital World. I became aware of them when I came out of that…err…trance. I've felt them the entire time. Haven't you?"

Kouji shook his head, not making any attempt to cover up the shocked expression on his face. He took his D-Tector out of his pocket and pressed the side button. Surely enough, his spirits showed up on the screen.

Kouji gasped. "You're right!" He exclaimed. He, then, gazed at Takuya, confusedly.

"Takuya," he spoke, "Why didn't you tell us that we had our spirits back?"

Takuya shrugged. "I thought everyone could sense them, I guess. I mean, _I_ can feel them, so I just assumed that the rest of you could too."

Kouji sighed. "How is it that you can sense our spirits, but I can't?"

Takuya once again shrugged. "I'm not sure, Kouji," he answered in a small voice.

Kouji put his D-Tector away and smiled, slightly. "Well, at least we know that we can defend ourselves against whatever may be out there. I'm glad to have my spirits back."

Takuya nodded in agreement. "Since having our spirits back is news to you, then maybe we should alert the others as well. Besides," Takuya sighed, "Our hour is nearly up and we should start heading back to our rendezvous point. Looks like we didn't make any progress as far as the missing digimon are concerned."

Takuya glanced at the platform and its surrounding flames one last time before turning and heading back toward the cliff's steep walls. Kouji followed him closely behind. The two began to slowly climb back up to the top of the cliff. Takuya was the first to reach the top and turned to give Kouji a hand, and gestured to help him up. Kouji readily accepted, grabbing Takuya's hand, and was hoisted upward. Takuya and Kouji both fell to their knees, attempting to catch their breaths after safely reaching the top. Kouji gave a small chuckle.

"I forgot what a workout it was to hang out with you, Takuya." Kouji chuckled.

"So then, are you saying that you've lost your edge?" Takuya teased.

"Never," Kouji answered with a smirk, not allowing Takuya to get away with thinking that he'd worn him out. He straightened himself out and offered Takuya a hand in standing. Takuya happily accepted the hand and stood with his best friend.

"You might regret what you said earlier about hanging out with me," Takuya laughed as he began to walk forward.

"Never," Kouji spoke softly, in a low voice that no one could have possibly heard.

The two walked in silence as they headed back to the rendezvous point in the center of the Village of Flames.

'What's going on with Takuya?' Kouji silently asked himself. 'First, he falls into that trance-like state. Then, while he was in that trance, he seemed to know that the Digital World was calling, because he was headed to the train station. He even anticipated the text message we all received, come to think of it. Now, he can sense our spirits, when I know for a fact that I couldn't, nor the others, for that matter. Takuya was on edge earlier about a bad feeling he had about this world. Naturally, we're needed for some kind of reason that involves trouble, but something's not right. What's going on here?'

Kouji sighed and glanced at Takuya. 'I'm starting to have a bad feeling too, and I don't like it one single bit.' He thought to himself.

When the two reached the rendezvous point, it wasn't surprising that they were the last two to arrive.

"And here comes Kouji and Takky, fashionably late, of course." Junpei chirped with a slight smirk as the two came upon them.

"So, did you guys come up with anything?' Izumi asked.

"No," Takuya answered. "How about you?"

"Kouichi and I found nothing," Izumi sighed as Kouichi shook his head, confirming Izumi's report.

"We didn't find anything either." Tomoki said with a sigh as Junpei drew in a breath as well.

"We didn't find any signs of a struggle, battle, or anything of the sort," Junpei answered, embossing Tomoki.

"Perhaps the inhabitants of this village left willingly," Takuya suggested.

"I remember how strong-willed the digimon here were when we defended them against the Royal Knights last time," Kouji spoke, as if in deep thought. "I doubt they would've surrendered to anyone if there was a struggle. They would've fought to the bitter end."

"I agree," Takuya answered, "I think it's safe to assume that the digimon weren't involved in a battle, at least, not in this area. Maybe the digimon just left for some strange reason. Either way, we'll figure it out sooner or later."

"Well, I hope it's a lot sooner than later," Junpei declared. "This little mystery is bringing on anxiety that I really don't need at the moment."

"We did find something out though," Kouji stated, "Or rather, Takuya made a discovery. Apparently, our spirits have returned to us."

"What!" Everyone aside from Takuya and Kouji gasped.

"Yeah, Takuya said he sensed our spirits. Surely enough, my spirits were right there on the screen of my D-Tector, as if we'd never been separated." Kouji explained.

Everyone checked their D-Tectors to find that their spirits had indeed returned. The Chosen let out a cheer, enjoying the fact that their spirits, which were much like old friends, were back. After recovering from the shock and joy of the realization, all eyes fell upon Kouji and Takuya.

"What do you mean, _Takuya_ sensed them?" Kouichi asked, a bit confused.

"Like Kouji said, I sensed them. I thought the rest of you could too, or I would've told you sooner." Takuya tried to explain. He then explained how he could sense them when he snapped out of the trance on the trailmon.

"How come you could sense our spirits, but we couldn't?" Junpei asked.

"I don't know," Takuya answered in a somewhat tired tone. "There's a lot that I don't seem to know about myself these days." Takuya let out a sigh.

"We probably could've saved ourselves _lots_ of drama if we had checked our D-Tectors ourselves the moment we arrived, instead of just _looking _at them." Izumi chuckled. "But then again, we were all stressing over Takuya at the time, so maybe that's why we didn't use common sense."

"Sorry," Takuya answered, exasperated.

"I thought we'd have to go through the same process of regaining them again, like last time. Good to know some things aren't repeating themselves," Tomoki said.

"You're telling me," replied Junpei, "I guess once we're chosen, we're chosen for life, or something along those lines."

Takuya sighed. 'Why was I the only one to sense them? Why couldn't the others? What's going on?' He silently asked himself. Kouji noticed the troubled expression on Takuya's face.

"Hey-" Kouji said gently, but was cut off by the sound of fast-paced footsteps coming up from behind. The footsteps were small and unrecognizable, yet oddly familiar at the same time. They most certainly didn't belong to anyone within the group.

Kouji gripped his D-Tector, preparing for defense, as Takuya did the same. They both turned around to face the intruders, as the rest of the group prepared to do the exact same. Takuya's face suddenly turned to shock, as the intruders made themselves be known. The look of shock, then, turned to happiness, as Takuya ran up to their visitors.

"Bokomon? Neemon?" Takuya asked, as he was running up to the two, small digimon.

"Takuya! Takuya, it is you!" Bokomon shouted cheerfully, as anime tears streamed down his face.

Takuya dropped to his knees and pulled both digimon into a big hug.

"I've missed you guys so much!" Takuya exclaimed happily.

"We've missed you too," Bokomon answered, speaking for Neemon, as the poor long-eared digimon was having a difficult time breathing at the moment. "We weren't sure if we'd ever see you again, but we always kept hoping that we'd cross paths again."

"I'm glad to see you both again," Takuya declared with a grin.

Everyone else had their turn at happily hugging Bokomon and Neemon, with the exception of Kouji, who, instead, patted them on their heads.

"Bokomon, the kids have all grown so much," Neemon commented, causing Bokomon to roll his eyes, at such an obvious comment. It _had _been a while, though...

"Bokomon, where are the inhabitants of this village?" Kouji asked, after everyone had been reacquainted, transforming the happy scene into a more serious one.

"Do you know why we're here?" Takuya asked, equally concerned.

"All will be explained soon," Bokomon answered. "I have the answers to both questions. How about we sit down? This is going to take a while."

Everyone nodded, as they sat on the sidewalk, and grew quiet, anxious for their questions to be answered.

"I'll answer the least complicated question first." Bokomon answered. "The inhabitants evacuated this village, and the villages surrounding it yesterday. They are staying in various safe locations underground near the guardians' castles."

Bokomon drew in a breath and continued. "As for the second question, well, that's a bit more complex. Surely, you're all aware that you were called here because you were needed to help the Digital World again."

Everyone nodded, awaiting Bokomon's explanation. The little digimon cleared his throat and continued.

"The Digital World is in peril again, I'm afraid. A lot has changed since you were last here. We experienced a long period of peace and prosperity. The Digital World triumphed over your hard work, and it was wonderful. Nevertheless, Patamon, Lopmon, and Salamon eventually digivolved until they reached the levels of Seraphimon, Cherubimon, and Ophanimon again. They retook their rightful places as guardians of this world, making sure to uphold the peace that you fought so hard for. In fact, Neemon and I became Seraphimon's advisors alongside Sorcermon, who was reborn by the way, and lived in his castle with him. I must say, I'm very proud of Seraphimon and-"

"I'm really happy for you and all, Bokomon, but can you please get back to the point?" Takuya asked, cutting in, as Bokomon started to ramble.

"Yes, yes, fine," Bokomon groaned as he continued, "Anyway, all was well until a shadowed figure made his presence known, just a few days ago. He began attacking helpless digimon, and claimed that the shadows would rise again and destroy the Digital World once and for all. Ophanimon once again summoned you here and arranged for your spirits to be returned to you as soon as you re-entered this world. Sorcermon and Nefertimon, who was also reborn, sent us here to meet with you, actually." Bokomon explained.

"Okay, so where are the guardian digimon now?" Kouichi asked. "Do you want us to meet up with them or something?"

"Well, you see…about that," Bokomon stammered, as he began to hesitate. "The three guardians decided to take it upon themselves to challenge and dispose of the terrible new threat to this world, but…."

Takuya suddenly let out a gasp, and everyone turned to face him.

"They lost the battle, didn't they?" Takuya asked in a low voice, surprising everyone.

"How did you know?" Bokomon asked. "I'm impressed. Has your intuition improved that much?"

"I don't know about that," Takuya sighed, "but for the past few nights, I've been having these nightmares."

"What kinds of nightmares?" Asked Kouji, concerned.

"Yes, do tell," Bokomon answered.

"Well," Takuya started, "There was this cloaked figure, shrouded in shadows. I could never see his face or features at all. It was just a dream, but I could always feel the shadows draped around him. It felt like emptiness and despair, a terrible kind of darkness. It was impure and smothering, unlike Kouichi's own dark power. Anyway, hundreds of white feathers seemed to be falling around the shadowed figure. He gave this sinister laugh that I could never recognize, and then turned to look at me, although his face was still covered within the shadows. Then, I would always wake up. I could never actually see him though, and honestly, I never wanted to."

Everyone stared at Takuya in awe, but Kouji stared at the boy worriedly.

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone about this dream?" Kouji asked, with deep concern in his voice.

"I could never remember it so vividly." Takuya answered, "Until now, it was nothing more than blurs and uneasiness. My memories of those nightmares just hit me all of a sudden."

"Takuya," Bokomon commented, "I believe you've been experiencing premonitions again. The three guardian digimon were, in fact, defeated, and captured."

Everyone turned to look at Takuya with shock painted all over their faces, once again. Takuya simply closed his eyes, as if to gain some kind of clarity in his thoughts. He was obviously becoming stressed out.

"Premonitions?" Tomoki asked, awestruck.

"What do you mean by _again_?" Kouji asked, staring at Takuya with nothing but confusion and worry in his eyes.

"Since when did Takuya ever experience premonitions?" Junpei asked, extremely curious.

Bokomon glanced over at Takuya, wondering if he'd explain his past experiences himself, but the child of flames still had his eyes tightly shut. Bokomon drew in a sigh.

"Takuya experienced premonitions when you came to the Digital World the first time." Bokomon explained. "I don't mean to bring up unpleasant memories, but it happened after Duskmon had injured Kouji, and after the evil hybrids had captured Tomoki, Izumi, and Junpei. Takuya was missing in action for quite sometime."

Kouji glanced over at Kouichi, who didn't seem to be too upset at the mentioned 'incident' that took place in the past. Kouji's worried look lessened a bit. Kouichi was definitely starting to forgive himself a little more each day now. Bokomon drew in another breath to speak.

"Eventually, Neemon and I met up with Takuya, but he was a completely different person. He had a premonition about the storm that occurred shortly before his rescue attempt, and was able to use his predictions to his advantage. Takuya gained a strong connection to the Digital World that day. I'm not surprised that he was able to subconsciously sense that the Digital World was in danger, before you were sent here."

Everyone glanced at Takuya again. Kouji eyed the boy suspiciously.

'Takuya never once mentioned any of this,' Kouji thought to himself. 'He never mentioned anything about premonitions. In fact, he's never really explained anything about that day from the time Duskmon attacked and he disappeared, to the time that he came to rescue us.' Kouji began to think of the series of events that had occurred in the Digital World last time. Then, he remembered…

"When we were first trapped inside Sakkakumon, we lost track of Junpei. Takuya knew exactly where to find him though. He said he could _feel _where Junpei was." Kouji thought aloud, bringing everyone into thought.

"Hey that's right, I remember that!" Izumi exclaimed.

"Takuya could also sense our spirits when we couldn't," Kouichi implied. "And what about Takuya's strange entry into the Digital World?"

Takuya's eyes jolted open, obviously wanting some answers to _that_ little mystery.

"What do you mean?" Bokomon asked.

Kouji, then, took the liberty of explaining the occurrences that had happened earlier in the day, from the time he met up with Takuya, to the strange trance he was in; to the way he seemed to anticipate the message from Ophanimon before it was even sent, to his _awakening _and lack of memory within that duration, to being able to sense the spirits, even when the others couldn't. Bokomon appeared to be in deep thought when Kouji finally stopped.

"So Bokomon," Takuya spoke, for the first time in a while, "Do you have any idea as to what's going on with me? Why am I blanking out? Why did I receive premonitions? Why was it that I could sense the spirits so strongly when the others could not?"

"I'm not exactly sure about that," Bokomon answered. "The premonitions are probably the result of your connection with the Digital World, as I've mentioned before. Maybe you have some kind of sixth sense."

"Geez, Takky," Junpei commented, "I guess you're some kind of a psychic. No wonder you're always winning at those soccer games."

"No way!" Takuya exclaimed, with slight anger in his voice. "If I had the ability to do that, then I'd just quit soccer. There'd be no challenge for me and that wouldn't be fun at all! It's not like I have premonitions all the time, or that I can read minds, or anything like that. I thought the premonition I had in the Dark Continent was a fluke last time…or maybe the Digital World's way of helping me. I swear, I'd never do anything like that!"

"Take it easy, Takky!" Junpei called, as he threw his arms up in defeat, "It was just a joke. You don't have to be so defensive!"

"I'm sorry," Takuya sighed after a long pause, regaining his composure. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Don't worry about it, Takky." Junpei answered, patting the shorter brunette on the back.

Kouji frowned. He couldn't blame Takuya for being at his wits' end and getting so defensive. The poor guy was burdened with so much today, and it seemed to only be getting worse and worse. He was extremely tired and overworked, from his responsibilities, not to mention the fact that he wasn't getting sleep due to the disturbing nightmares that he was just now starting to recall.

'How can I help him?' Kouji thought to himself. 'I promised him that I would help him, but how? Takuya shouldn't have to be burdened like this.'

"I'm surprised that you could sense the spirits, though." Bokomon commented, bringing Kouji out of his thoughts. "I could understand the fact that the others couldn't, but the fact that you could…"

"Why is it such a shock to you?" Tomoki asked.

"Because our enemy set up an invisible barrier." Bokomon simply replied. "With the barrier in place, it's not surprising that your own spirits were difficult to sense."

"Explain what you know about this barrier," Kouji practically ordered.

"Our enemy set up a barrier, not long after the battle against the celestial guardian digimon," Bokomon explained. "This barrier prevents digimon from digivolving to certain levels. I've already calculated that Kouji and Takuya can't spirit evolve to levels that are higher than Aldamon and Beowolfmon."

"So we don't have the ability to spirit-evolve to EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon, then?" Takuya asked, baffled.

"Correct," Bokomon answered. "EmperorGreymon, MagnaGarurumon, and even Susanoomon is pretty much out of the picture, at least until the barrier is brought down."

"And where is the source of this barrier located?" Kouji asked.

"I don't know," Bokomon sighed. "Sorcermon became aware of it and has been trying to track the location. We can only assume that the barrier is in the same location as the enemy himself, and so far, we haven't been able to locate his hideout."

"That sucks," Junpei chided, dropping his arms, which had been behind his head until now.

"The barrier probably prevented you from sensing your own spirits as soon as they were returned, but the fact that Takuya could sense them shocks me. It probably has something to do with your slight sensory perception, Takuya." Bokomon commented.

Takuya nodded, still trying to take everything in. Kouji merely shot him a worried glance before Bokomon broke the ice again.

"As I was saying," Bokomon said rather bluntly, "That's the only explanation that I could provide for your premonitions and awareness of the spirits…you have a sixth sense and you have a rather strong connection to the Digital World. However, I cannot answer why you fell into that trance. Perhaps that, too, has something to do with sensing premonitions, but…"

"You're not so sure about that, are you?" Takuya asked, tentatively. The Chosen's leader let out a sigh. "Truth is, it just can't be explained, right? I was afraid of this. There has to be a plausible reason for why I just blanked out like that. It goes deeper than premonitions…I have a bad feeling about this." Takuya hung his head low when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find a very determined Kouji peering down at him intensely.

"We'll find out what happened to you." He said rather gently, in contrast to his strong facial expression, "You've got me working by your side, and like I said before, I never go back on my promises."

Takuya smiled a little. "You're right, and you know how resilient we are when we work together."

Kouji smirked. "That's right," he chuckled.

"Getting back to the main topic, which we seemed to have swerved away from," Bokomon said as he cleared his throat, "That evil fiend has defeated and captured the three legendary guardians. Sorcermon and Nefertimon are working to gather information as we speak, but we honestly aren't very resourceful at the moment. The evil being wouldn't reveal his identity from what I understand. Sorcermon and Nefertimon were present before he challenged the guardians, but Seraphimon and Ophanimon quickly ordered them to retreat and escape. They, as well as Cherubimon, entrusted your spirits to the two of them for safe-keeping. Ophanimon ordered that your spirits be returned to you as soon as you returned to the Digital World, if they'd failed to stop the fiend themselves. She knew that if they couldn't stop him, then our hopes would once again have to be entrusted onto you. Sorcermon and Nefertimon released your spirits as soon as they received confirmation that the trailmon they'd sent to retrieve you had re-entered the Digital World, a few days after learning that Ophanimon and the others had not returned. They sent Neemon and myself to greet you and inform you of what we know. Ophanimon most likely sent that distress after she was captured, as a last ditch effort, as well as the other two guardians. We haven't heard from the three of them since."

"So you don't have any idea who this digimon is or what he wants?" Kouichi asked.

"The digimon is hiding his identity well. No one has seen his face. After the capture of the guardians, he began attacking innocent digimon. Most of the remaining digimon have evacuated underground. He has been rather static in his attacks in the past day or so…too quiet, if you'd ask me. He has a base somewhere, but we're unsure of the location. That's where the guardians must be held. This fiend is, however, rather strange for an evil villain."

"How so?" Kouji asked, curiosity written all over his features.

"He's bent on destruction, but he has yet to really do so. He could've collected the guardians' data, and yet, he merely captured them. He has yet to actually steal data, if you want to know the truth. He hasn't attempted to take data from this world at all. He's attacked some digimon, but unlike the other enemies before him, he's not much of a data-thief."

"Perhaps he's laying out a trap?" Kouji asked, suspicious.

"We've considered that, and truthfully, it's a possibility. However, we came to the conclusion that perhaps he was waiting for an opportunity, or for something to happen. We worked all night trying to discover exactly what it was, but then, Nefertimon found it." Bokomon answered.

"Found what, exactly?" Izumi asked.

"Neemon, please give me the book at once." Bokomon preached to the bunny-looking digimon. "Get it out so I can explain."

"Zzzz…" Neemon appeared to be sleeping, as a huge bubble appeared on his mouth.

"Neemon!" Bokomon shouted at the top of his lungs as he snapped his pants, causing him to awaken and shriek.

"Some things never change," Tomoki whispered to no one in particular.

"Book, book, where are you…here it is!" Neemon sung, pulling the book out of seemingly nowhere. Bokomon greedily took it from him, irritated at the fact that his old friend could sleep at a time like this.

"As I was saying, Nefertimon found this book lying on her desk, just out of the blue. She didn't put it there and we were all baffled about how it got there in the first place. Nevertheless," the small digimon clarified, "We opened the book to find this…"

Bokomon opened the book to the first page and waved it around for the Chosen to see.

"Of all the pages in the book, the first page is the only one that has writings on it. It was a very strange find." He replied. "Nefertimon, Sorcermon, and I have a theory. Remember when I said that our enemy seems to be waiting for something?"

Everyone nodded, anxious for the small digimon to continue.

"Well," Bokomon continued, "The text in this very book may prove our theory to be true. We have reason to believe that the new threat is waiting for an opportunity to make himself and his true intentions known…all in good and precise time. He has a plan, and it's a doozy. The text in this book is not very clear, but it answers a few questions."

"What does the book say?" Izumi asked, asking the question for everyone.

"The book contains a passage," Bokomon answered, "I think it's more than just a simple passage, though. It's a prophecy."

"A prophecy?" Takuya asked, curiosity etched all over his face.

"What would make you think that it was a prophecy?" Kouji inquired, suspicion hinting in his tone of voice.

"Because the first part of the passage has already come true," Bokomon explained in a dark voice. "I'll go ahead and read to you what the first passage says. I want you to pay especially close attention to the passage, Takuya."

Takuya simply nodded gravely, wondering why Bokomon would single him out.

"_The lands shall fall into shadow once more. Shadows shall ravage the lands and those with wings shall be caged, who protect it_." Bokomon read. He then turned to Takuya.

"I'm not one for figuring out things, but that passage described my nightmare, didn't it?" Takuya asked, nervously.

"That's right," Bokomon answered. "The passage is referring to the fall and capture of the three celestial guardians, and it also refers to the one who captured them, without great detail."

"What about the second part of the passage?" Kouichi asked. "You led us to believe that there was another one. Has it also come true?"

Bokomon frowned. "No, it hasn't," he answered. "That part of the prophecy has yet to occur."

"So then maybe this is just a coincidence?" Tomoki asked, hope tinged in his voice.

"No, it isn't just a coincidence," Takuya spoke up in a somewhat dark voice. "What I saw in that nightmare was real. What I felt in that dream was real…and what I'm feeling now is also real. I'm going to believe in this prophecy."

Kouji felt a chill run down his spine. An ominous feeling was nagging at him. Takuya's words…the premonitions…the prophecy... Something bad was about to happen and he didn't like it at all. Kouji now understood the apprehension that Takuya had been experiencing all day.

"Bokomon," Takuya spoke, breaking Kouji out of his thoughts, "Please read us the second part of the passage. Maybe it'll give us a clue as to what our enemy will do next."

"As you wish," Bokomon replied. He took in a breath and began with the second passage. "_He who is a source of light shall be engulfed by shadows._"

Everyone grew silent, trying to take in the words of the second passage.

"No…" Takuya's voice trailed, breaking the silence with his shaky voice.

Kouji whirled around to find Takuya looking at him with eyes full of shock and fear.

* * *

A/N: I finally updated with chapter 4. I'm on break right now, so I have the time to work on fics a bit more. Chapter 5 will be updated much sooner than the other chapters were. I'm so excited to work on it, because I'm finally getting somewhere. Bokomon had a huge role in this chapter, didn't he? -laughs- Who else would be better to explain things though? He always does it in the series, even with going off-topic and everything. I'm sorry if you don't like him, but I adore him, as well as Neemon, although they did get on my nerves in the beginning. To me, the series just wouldn't be the same without them. Neemon is the keeper of the book of prophecies, just as Bokomon is the keeper of that digimon reference book, hehe. Takuya seems a bit ooc, but if all this was happening to me, then I don't think I'd be myself at all…I'd be confused and unsure of things too. Also, the premonition thing isn't AU or anything. I just kinda picked up on the "Sockit Takuya" episode (unsure of the actual ep title) and amplified the situation a bit to suit my own purposes for this fic. I also apologize for the horrible wordings of the prophecies, and the horrible humor that I've attempted in this fic.

Does this chapter confuse you guys at all? Did it make any sense? Please don't panic, if you happen to be confused. Chances are, I probably didn't explain things well enough. I'm about to summarize the main points of this chapter to make things easier for you. Takuya's trance wasn't revealed in this chapter at all…so you didn't miss that; it's just not the right time to explain that yet. It will happen very soon though.

What you should've gotten from this chapter is as follows: Takuya was able to sense the spirits, when everyone else couldn't. This was because the enemy, who shall remain nameless right now, has set up a barrier, making it difficult for the digidestined to sense their own spirits; the barrier's main purpose was to keep certain digimon from spirit-evolving to a certain level. Remember the control towers that Ken used in 02? Well, the barrier is a bit similar to the properties of that, although there are differences… The guardians, as well as their advisors (Sorcermon and Nefertimon) were immune to this, thus keeping their forms, mainly because they were already high-levels when the barrier was set up. Takuya received premonitions in the form of nightmares, seeing an unrecognizable foe shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to know his true identity, with floating feathers, symbolic of the guardian digimons' defeat. The premonitions were the result of a sixth sense, which Takuya possesses, possibly due to the strong connection that he gained with the Digital World back in the series, as well as his ability to sense the spirits despite the barrier (or maybe Takuya was a kind of psychic in the series?). Ophanimon, Cherubimon, and Seraphimon were defeated and captured. Ophanimon had summoned everyone back to the Digital World, shortly after her capture, however, and left the spirits in the care of Sorcermon and Nefertimon, who are still working vigorously to find out what exactly is going on with this new threat… The spirits were returned to the children the moment they re-entered the Digital World, although they weren't aware of it at the time (with the exception of an oddly observant Taku). Takuya's premonition was embossed by the first passage of the prophecy.

I hope that cleared up any confusion that you might have. If not, then please email me…but understand this, any strange plot-holes that you came across are there for a reason and will be answered later. This has all been planned out, so please don't worry. This is merely the beginning of things to come in this fic of mine.

I apologize for the long author's note, once again, and I also apologize if anyone's offended by my using Japanese names with dub digimon names. Yes, I know this bothers many people, but most people seem to recognize them best in this way…I've read enough fics out there to notice that. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday, regardless of what you celebrate, or a good weekend, if you celebrate nothing. –hands everyone plushies and pocky for having to read such a travesty of a chapter- More Takouji/Koukuya to come!

**Kenzy-chan: **I'm so sorry for making you wait. You know, I really like Izumi. I think she's a pretty cool character. Good to see that there are other Takouji fans out there who like her too.

**Angel Spirit: **I'm really glad that Kouichi wasn't too ooc or anything. You know how I worried about that, lol. I don't think I can write a short fic/chapter for the life of me. Oh well, it makes it fun to write, for me. I'm glad you liked the ever-so-worried Kouji. Then again, you love Kouji, no matter what mood he's in, ne? xD I'll certainly take my sweet time, but this will all eventually come together. Trust me, if I'm stuck and it's not something that'll be totally spoiled, I'll email you, no problem. –glomp-

**Takuya: **Thank you very much. I hope this chapter didn't scare you away though, lol. Ah, and pocky is a Japanese snack…like a cookie. They're shaped in the forms of sticks and come in many flavors, such as chocolate, strawberry, pumpkin, etc… They're very good, but costly for me, unfortunately, since I have to order them online. –grumbles- You should try some if you're a fan of sweets. If you want, I can email you a URL or something.

**Dragi:** -hugs back- I'm glad you liked it. I was hoping that it would be cute. I was kinda afraid that people might think that I was being mean to Izumi, but it seems to have worked out. There was a little Takoujiness in this chapter…but I promise there will be so much more to come. And yes…Takuya's condition will be made clear very, very soon…no worries.

**Kyla Minamoto: **I'm really glad you liked this. I'm quite fond of your fics, ya know. Anyway, Kouji, I can't tell you; it's a secret. XD But I promise, there will be tons more Takouji in the future. Lots and lots of yummy Takouji/Koukuya… Bwahahahahaha! I hope this chapter didn't scare you away though.

**ShadowedDarkness: **Thank you. I like the blushing thing too. It's so much fun to write, hehe. I'm glad you liked it, and congrats for getting an sn. Hehe, pocky is fun to steal. XD

Please read and review, everyone! I'd write this if I got no reviews at all, but your reviews are motivational.


	5. Protecting Precious Light

**The Firelight Prophecies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That belongs to Toei Animation. If I owned it, Kouji would've been present and watching when Takuya faced ShadowSeraphimon. That could've been so great…

Warning: This fic contains **yaoi/shounen-ai**, which is the coupling of two males. If you do not like this kind of coupling or you hate the fact that this is a **Takouji/Koukuya** fic (the coupling between Takuya and Kouji and vice-versa) then you should probably hit that nifty "back" button and search for a fic that's best for you. Any flames shall be poked and prodded by use of a spork.

Synopsis: The Digital World calls upon the help of the Chosen children again, but this time, the battle is for much more than the fate of two worlds, as a life hangs in the balance. Will the darkness consume everything or will Kouji and Takuya have what it takes to survive? Will the shadows threaten to separate the two once and for all? Koukuya/Takouji fluff in later chapters… I really suck at writing summaries.

Setting: This story takes place one year after the series. In this chapter, the digidestined is in the Village of Flames, located in the Digital World.

Written by: Sailor Epyon

* * *

"Bokomon," Takuya spoke, breaking Kouji out of his thoughts, "Please read us the second part of the passage. Maybe it'll give us a clue as to what our enemy will do next."

"As you wish," Bokomon replied. He took in a breath and began with the second passage. "_He who is a source of light shall be engulfed by shadows._"

Everyone grew silent, trying to take in the words of the second passage.

"No…" Takuya's voice trailed, breaking the silence with his shaky voice.

Kouji whirled around to find Takuya looking at him with eyes full of shock and fear.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Protecting Precious Light**

The minutes silently passed as though they were centuries, no one uttering a word since Takuya's outburst. Everyone had stood their ground as they silently collected their thoughts, whilst Takuya, on the other hand, paced back and forth, wearing the grimmest of expressions. Kouji anxiously watched the keeper of flames, not liking the uncharacteristic expression on his face at all.

"Takuya, will you please stop doing that?" Junpei asked, after several minutes passed by.

Takuya, however, persisted in his nervous antics, hopelessly trapped in his chaotic thoughts.

'The darkness wants to engulf the light.' Takuya thought to himself. 'Hell will have to freeze over before I let that happen. Those dreams…those premonitions… I have _felt _the kind of darkness that our enemy has to offer, and it's not to be taken lightly. He defeated the guardians like they were nothing. What can I do?'

Takuya continued to pace back and forth until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Kouji, staring intently at the brunette. Takuya ceased his pacing and sighed heavily.

"What's on your mind?" Kouji asked.

"Everything." Takuya answered in a low voice.

"Talk to me," Kouji replied, hoping to gain some clarity with Takuya's sudden behavior.

Takuya merely sighed again, causing Kouji to frown. "Takuya?" He asked.

"The shadows wish to engulf the light." Takuya muttered. "That's what the prophecy predicts. _That's_ what is expected to happen next."

"So, what do we do?" Tomoki asked, speaking for the first time since the last passage had been read.

Takuya turned to meet their eyes with that gleam of determination that he was famous for.

"We have to prevent the second passage from happening." Takuya spoke with such force in his voice.

"How are we going to do that?" Asked Kouichi, with obvious concern in his tone. "How can we prevent this from happening, if we don't exactly know what to look for?"

"We'll find a way." Takuya answered. "The second passage will _not_ come to pass."

"You're right, Takuya." Izumi spoke up. "We will definitely find a way. In the meantime, what's our next move?"

"Yeah, exactly what she said!" Junpei cut in. "Where do we go from here?"

"Finding our enemy will prove to be difficult." Kouichi chimed in. "Takuya, where do you think we should start looking?"

Takuya grew silent, as frustration etched his face. He closed his eyes, as if to mentally clear away the angry fog that had surfaced in his chaotic mind.

"Takuya?" Kouji asked, concerned for his best friend and crush.

Takuya opened his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't think it's necessary for us to _look_ for our enemy." He spoke in a low, almost dangerous voice.

"Why not?" Izumi asked.

Kouichi let out a gasp as realization hit him. "I know what you're getting at, Takuya!" He exclaimed. "Our enemy will eventually come to us…to seek out the source of light."

"Exactly." Takuya nodded. "We have to be prepared for anything and everything."

Kouji, who had grown silent over the course of a few minutes, stared intensely at the brunette in front of him.

"Takuya…" Kouji started before his voice was suddenly cut off by the sound of simultaneous beeping noises.

Everyone checked their D-Tectors, trying to find the source of the continuous beeping. The answer came in the form of several dots, heading straight for their destination.

"What's going on?" Junpei asked, as nervousness painted his face.

Takuya gritted his teeth, as Bokomon began to speak.

"Apparently, our enemy has decided to come out of hiding." The knowledgeable digimon answered nervously. He then glanced at Tomoki's D-Tector and sighed. "I estimate that you'll be attacked in about thirty minutes or so."

"Damn it!" Takuya angrily cursed. "I was hoping we'd have more time than this." He took in a deep breath and sighed, trying to regain his composure.

"Takuya?" Izumi called to him, concerned.

"Bokomon," Takuya's voice came at a calm, but angry tone, "My premonition depicted that our enemy defeated the guardian digimon _alone_. Judging by the numbers of dots on our D-Tectors, I'd say that he's sending lackeys. Why?"

"I wouldn't know." Bokomon sighed. "If I knew how our enemy's mind worked, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Maybe he's toying with us?" Izumi suggested.

Bokomon shrugged. If another evil being _were_ toying with the Chosen, it certainly wouldn't have been the first time.

"It makes no difference." Takuya answered. "We still have a fight on our hands. Besides, I will not let the shadows take Kouji away from us."

Kouji's eyes widened at that declaration. He slightly blushed, but pushed it aside. His pride needed to be defended, after all.

"I'm not going anywhere." Kouji spoke with determination. "I, myself, won't let that happen." Kouji gripped his D-Tector and smirked. "Now, let's form a plan and prepare to meet with our newest admirers."

Takuya thought for a bit before answering with a plan of his own.

"I'm going to go head our enemy off." The child of fire declared. "If we're dealing with lackeys, then we should put on a good show for their boss. I'll see what the fuss is all about. Kouji, you're going to stay behind, okay?"

"No, it's not okay!" Kouji snapped. "I'm coming with you! Besides, we both agreed that we're a team. That means that we're working together, no matter what."

"Sorry Kouji, but I am not going to risk you." Takuya answered, trying desperately hard to keep his temper in check.

"Hey, you don't get to make that decision. I'm coming with you!" Kouji exclaimed, as he stubbornly folded his arms on his chest.

"You're not coming with me, and that's that!" Takuya practically shouted as he waved his arms frantically.

"Don't order me around, Kanbara!" Kouji shouted, furiously. "I can take care of myself! I don't have to listen to you. Besides, you're relapsing back into your old, reckless ways."

"Will you just swallow your damn pride for a minute, and listen to me!" Takuya countered. "I'm not being reckless! I'm being smart. I know what we're up against. I've seen it…I've _felt_ it. This prophecy isn't something to be taken lightly! You of all people should know that."

"Reckless baka!" Kouji fumed. "I don't need your protection. Get over your damn self."

"Damn _you_, Minamoto!" Takuya shouted as hurt flashed in his eyes. "You're the one who's full of it!"

Kouji grabbed Takuya by his shirt, but the brunette shoved him away. Kouichi and Junpei jumped in-between the two bickering boys, trying hard to calm them down before they did something that they'd regret.

Kouji struggled to get his temper under control.

'Damn that Takuya!' Kouji thought to himself. 'Why is he acting like this, all of a sudden? He's being so stubborn. We haven't argued like this since that time with Duskmon…'

Takuya scoffed and gripped his D-Tector, as he walked over to where Izumi was standing.

"Takuya, I don't think that you should fight alone." Izumi spoke up. "Let me come with you, okay?"

Kouji felt himself twitch again, but ignored it this time. Now was definitely not the time for childish jealousy.

Takuya nodded, as he tried to regain some control of his own. "I was about to suggest that a few of you should come with me, and a few should stay with Kouji."

"To hell with th-…" Kouji started, but Kouichi silenced him with a gentle elbow to the ribs.

"Takuya, do you mind if I accompany you as well?" Kouichi asked, feeling the need to protect his twin brother in some way or another.

Takuya nodded, as his glare melted into determination. Kouichi smiled slightly, before meeting his younger twin's glare. The older twin sweat-dropped at this, and pulled his stubborn younger brother aside.

"Kouichi, I can't believe you're going along with this." Kouji chided.

"Sorry, little brother, but Takuya's plan isn't reckless like you say." Kouichi answered. "I think his plan is more suitable. You'll be safe this way. You're being the reckless one by rushing in, when you know that you're the target."

"Don't give me that!" Kouji interjected. "You can't possibly…"

"Kouji, please listen to me." Kouichi cut his brother off to explain. "There is more at stake here than just your pride. There's the safety of every living being in both worlds, not to mention your life. I was under the impression that if the light is shrouded in shadows, then all hope for the Digital World would be lost. Takuya knows what he's talking about, because he's seen it. The shadows are plaguing him for some reason, and he senses a darkness that not even I can sense. Don't forget about the situation involving the guardian digimon. If you truly wish to protect the well-being of both worlds, then you'll stay behind just this once."

Kouji angrily kicked a rock into the sand. Kouichi let out a sigh of relief. Appealing to Kouji's selflessness was the key to winning him over with this plan. He knew his little brother would get over his pride, if it came to protecting the two worlds that he loved so much.

"Besides," Kouichi smirked and winked, "I promise to take good care of your dearly beloved. I shall guard him with my very life. By the way, I know you enjoy seeing Takuya get all hot and bothered for your own entertainment purposes, but you shouldn't be so rough on him when he's putting your best interests at heart."

Kouji let out a frustrated sigh and glared at his brother once more. Kouichi patted the bandana-clad boy on the head and turned toward Takuya.

"Kouji is going to behave and stay behind." Kouichi smiled.

Takuya glanced at the ever-so-pissed-off Kouji and nodded. Izumi clapped her hands and smiled.

"Takuya, Kouichi; shall we go ahead then?" The child of wind asked.

"Yes, we shall." Takuya answered, then turned to Junpei and Tomoki, who were staying behind with Kouji. "Be prepared for anything. If something should happen…"

"We'll be fine." Junpei gave a thumbs-up. "Just stay safe and get out of there, if there's trouble."

Takuya nodded and turned to Kouji. "Kouji, I just don't want to see you hurt." He said softly, before turning his back.

"I know," Kouji answered in a frustrated tone, as he tried to cover up the blush that had once again crept across his face.

"Spirit Evolution!"

"Aldamon!"

"Kazemon!"

"Lowemon!"

"Beowolfmon!"

"Beetlemon!"

"Kumamon!"

"It feels great to be a digimon again," Beetlemon stated.

Everyone nodded and turned to their fearless leader.

"Okay, Kazemon, Lowemon, and I are going to go up ahead. You guys stay behind, and stay on guard at all times. We really don't know what they're planning." Aldamon instructed.

Everyone nodded with the exception of Beowolfmon, who just rolled his eyes.

"Stay safe, you guys." Beetlemon relied.

"If anything happens, please come back immediately." Kumamon added.

"We will." Lowemon nodded.

"We won't rush into battle." Aldamon informed them. "We'll take defense only if we have to. Let's see if we can get answers first. If things get too hairy, we'll return within the blink of an eye."

"See that you do." Beowolfmon said a bit forcefully, still feeling scorned from the obvious wound to his pride, not to mention the fact that he was failing to keep a certain promise.

Kazemon and Aldamon began to flap their wings, and grabbed the 'grounded' Lowemon's hands, as the three began to fly toward the approaching enemies.

"Take care." Beowolfmon mumbled softly, as Aldamon disappeared from his view.

Kazemon, Aldamon, and Lowemon flew quickly to make their way toward the approaching enemies.

"Kouji's pissed off at me." Aldamon sighed.

"Don't worry about him." Lowemon smirked. "Kouji will be fine. I think your decision was the best one."

"I think so too." Kazemon chimed in. "We have to prevent that second passage from coming true."

Aldamon nodded. "And in order to do that," the legendary warrior of fire added, "We have to make sure that Kouji's out of sight. We have to protect the light, at all costs."

Kazemon gave Aldamon a quick glance before, both, she and Lowemon nodded.

Aldamon glanced at his D-Tector and smirked. "According to the D-Tector, we should be meeting up with our enemies right about…."

A hoard of SkullKnightmon came into view, as they quickly marched across the earth.

"…Now." Aldamon finished before winking at his friends. "Time to get busy."

Kazemon nodded as Lowemon smirked under his facemask.

Aldamon and Kazemon flew directly ahead with Lowemon flying between them, linked with each of their hands, as to not fall while they flew. They stopped and hovered directly above the SkullKnightmon, who stared up at them with the deadest of eyes. They slowly made their way to the ground, unlinking their hands, as they finally reached the bottom.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Aldamon asked in a teasing fashion.

The SkullKnightmon stood their ground, remaining quiet as they did so. Their dead, blank eyes turned from Kazemon, to Lowemon, before resting solely on Aldamon.

"Not much for words, ne?" Lowemon asked.

"Why were you swarming toward us?" Kazemon asked, getting straight to the point. "Could it be that you're searching for something…or someone?"

Again, no answer came from the SkullKnightmon.

"Maybe you're searching for a certain source of light." Aldamon baited them. "Sorry, to disappoint, but _we're _your only guests for the day."

The SkullKnightmons' eyes narrowed as they continued to stare at Aldamon.

"Who are you working for?" Lowemon asked. "Who sent you after us; after the light? We want answers!"

There was no reply, causing Kazemon to groan.

"Answer us!" She shouted. "Tell us who you're working for. Who is your master? Give us answers, or else!"

The SkullKnightmon began to lunge toward the three Chosen warriors with their swords. Aldamon bit his lip and sighed.

"I suppose asking you to cooperate is out of the question." Aldamon chided. "Well, that's okay. I'd much rather fight you anyway. Besides," he added, "You're full of crap if you think that you'll ever take _my_ best friend away from _me_."

The SkullKnightmon suddenly lunged forward, aiming their swords at Aldamon. Aldamon sprung back, attempting an evasive maneuver as Kazemon and Lowemon sprang to the legendary warrior of flames, covering his sides.

"We've got you covered!" Kazemon called, as she evaded attacks.

"They really have it in for you." Lowemon added, blocking an attack with his shield.

"Heh, I guess I pissed them off." Aldamon answered. "I seem to be doing a lot of that lately."

"You always were the charming one." Kazemon mumbled before taking to the skies.

"Hurricane Wave!" She called, as her attack hit two SkullKnightmon head on.

"Shadow Meteor!" Lowemon called, hitting three more SkullKnightmon.

"Atomic Inferno!" Aldamon shouted, summoning his own attack, knocking out five SkullKnightmon.

The SkullKnightmon, however, got back to on their feet in mere seconds, and proceeded toward them.

"They're being persistent." Kazemon noted, as she continued evading attacks.

"They're not going to give up because they're after Kouji, and we're standing in their way." Lowemon muttered as he did the same.

"If this is a battle of stubbornness, then I've already won." Aldamon stated. "You hear that, SkullKnightmon? You'll _never_ capture the light!"

The SkullKnightmon narrowed their eyes as they stared fiercely at Aldamon once more.

"The source of light that our master requires shall be retrieved." One of the SkullKnightmon declared in a low voice, as he lunged toward Aldamon.

Once again, all of the SkullKnightmon began their assault on Aldamon. Lowemon and Kazemon prepared to cover their leader again, as Aldamon summoned another attack.

"Hurricane Wave!"

"Shadow Meteor!"

"Atomic Inferno!"

The SkullKnightmon once again fell, only to get back to their feet, before setting their sights on Aldamon once more. The legendary warrior of flames gritted his teeth.

"Bastards!" Aldamon cursed. "I won't let you come near Kouji!"

The SkullKnightmon lunged at Aldamon once more. He prepared to summon another fiery attack, when he felt a dark presence. The presence held a familiarity about it, similar to the shadowy presence he felt in his nightmares. Aldamon froze in place, as the SkullKnightmon attacked him again.

"Aldamon!" Lowemon shouted as Aldamon was hit with several intense attacks. Aldamon was quickly thrown to the ground.

Lowemon and Kazemon tried to race to Aldamon's aid, but were suddenly surrounded by SkullKnightmon themselves.

"Hurricane Wave!"

"Shadow Meteor!"

A few SkullKnightmon were thrown to the ground, but others came.

"Will this ever end!" Kazemon asked in exasperation.

Across from them, Aldamon's body was sprawled out on the ground.

"Ugh…that one really hurt." Aldamon murmured, as he got to his feet and shook the pain off. One of the SkullKnightmon grabbed him from behind. He elbowed the undead digimon in the stomach and kicked away from him.

"Atomic Inferno!"

The SkullKnightmon fell to the ground again. Unfortunately, however, the SkullKnightmon was back up on his feet in mere seconds. Aldamon sighed in frustration, before that familiar, dark presence could be felt once more.

"This feeling…" Aldamon whispered. "…The shadows…_He's_ coming…"

Meanwhile…

Beowolfmon, Kumamon, and Beetlemon walked around the Village of Flames, with Bokomon and Neemon in tow. Beowolfmon scoffed.

"I don't understand him." Beowolfmon sighed. "It's okay for Izumi and Kouichi to go with him for backup support, but not me? I'm a fusion evolution type just as Aldamon is! I'm more powerful than Kazemon and Lowemon, even with their beast spirits. Takuya and I are on equal terms of power. So why can't he see that it's a mistake to not have me with him?"

Bokomon sighed. "Takuya must've realized that no matter how powerful you may be, there's still the chance that you can be taken." He explained. "The prophecy depicts that the source of light would be engulfed by shadows. It doesn't depict how strong that source is, meaning that strength and power are not a priority. Takuya has sensed the shadows, and he's had a prophetic vision. He knows what our enemy is capable of, and he's not taking chances. That's why you were left behind."

Beowolfmon kicked a pebble. "I don't like this at all." He scowled.

"You don't have to like it," Beetlemon stated, "Frankly, I don't like it either, but I trust Takky. He's pretty dependable these days."

"He _has_ changed." Bokomon commented. "Maybe even more than before…He never ceases to surprise me. He seems to have the makings of a brilliant tactician."

"Heh, only on the soccer field." Beetlemon smirked.

"Takuya onii-san has always been dependable to me." Kumamon chimed in. "And he _is_ smart. You guys just never noticed it before."

"Yeah right." Beowolfmon sighed, but a small smile graced his features as he did so.

'It seems I'm not the only person who's noticed the changes in him.' Beowolfmon thought. 'Still though, I promised to help him…and yet, here I am, while he's out there in battle, protecting me. I can't stand just _sitting_ here…besides, why is he so hell-bent on protecting me?'

"What's taking them so long?" Beetlemon sighed.

"I wonder how they're doing." Kumamon thought aloud. "I mean, if things get to be too much, they said they'd come back, so…"

"They're fine." Beowolfmon declared, without a second's thought.

"That's right." Kumamon said with a hint of hopefulness in his voice. "You can probably sense that Kouichi's alright, because you're his twin."

"No, it's not that." Beowolfmon answered, as he shook his head. "It's just that they _have_ to be alright. Damn it, I am _not _staying behind again. I don't care about some damn prophecy."

"I'm sure they're all fine." Beetlemon answered, trying to ease tensions. "Aldamon, Kazemon, and Lowemon can definitely take care of themselves. Besides, they're only dealing with lackeys, right?"

Beowolfmon and Kumamon nodded, and all was seemingly quiet. A few minutes passed, and there still was no word from Aldamon and the others.

"Bokomon, it's dinner time." Neemon rambled suddenly.

"What are you talking about, you twit?" Bokomon asked. "It's not time for dinner! That's hours from now!"

"But Bokomon," Neemon pleaded, "It's getting dark. It must be time for dinner!"

"What?" Bokomon asked, before everyone turned to look up at the sky. Surely enough, the sky was beginning to darken, as though it were the late evening hours.

"W-What the hell!" Beetlemon stammered.

"See? I told you so." Neemon answered proudly, as Bokomon hit him in the head.

"Is it that late already?" Beetlemon asked.

"I don't think so." Beowolfmon answered. "It hasn't been _that_ long."

"Why is it getting so dark all of a sudden?" Kumamon asked, nervously.

Bokomon narrowed his eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this…" He trailed.

Beowolfmon stared up at the sky once more. The sky was blackening more by each passing second. He stared at the horizon directly ahead of him. It was getting darker in that direction… Beowolfmon bit his lip. Lowemon, Aldamon, and Kazemon had headed in that direction!

"Something's wrong." Beowolfmon stated, in the calmest voice he could muster.

"I agree," Bokomon nodded. "This darkness is unnatural. I don't like it."

It suddenly got so dark that Beowolfmon could barely see Beetlemon, who was standing in front of him.

"Geez, it's so dark." Beetlemon complained. "I can't see a thing." He looked back at Beowolfmon, barely making him out in the darkness. "Hey, Bearer of Light," he called, "Can't you do something about this?"

"And what do you expect me to do, exactly?" Beowolfmon asked, slightly annoyed.

Beetlemon shrugged and sighed, causing Beowolfmon to sigh as well. It wasn't as if he was trying to be a jerk, but he was starting to get worried. Something was wrong, and he knew it.

Kumamon walked back toward the center of the Village of Flames. In the center, were some unlit torches that decorated the town. Kumamon pulled the torch from the ground and cut the pole, making it shorter and easier to hold. He then walked over to one of the furnaces that were stationed throughout the town and opened the window to the dancing flames that wildly raged inside. He carefully lit the torch, by sliding it through a through the small window on the furnace, before silently shutting it. He walked back over to where the others were standing.

"Maybe this will help," Kumamon beamed, breaking everyone out of their silence.

"Way to go, kid!" Junpei cheered.

"You're becoming quite resourceful." Bokomon commented as Beowolfmon nodded, in agreement.

Kumamon smiled. "It comes from hanging out with Takuya." He laughed. He, then, handed the torch over to Beetlemon, who graciously accepted it.

"This should shed some light on things." The legendary warrior of thunder stated.

Beowolfmon took out his D-Tector and pushed one of the side buttons.

"Can anyone hear me?" Beowolfmon asked into the D-Tector. "Guys, if you're there, please answer." The only reply was the sound of static.

"Damn!" Beowolfmon cursed. "Something doesn't feel right! They should've been back by now."

"You don't suppose there was an ambush…?" Beetlemon asked, as his voice trailed.

Beowolfmon grimaced. "There had better not be!" He declared. "They were supposed to gather information and retreat."

Kumamon stiffened as his thoughts plundered to Beetlemon's earlier comment. 'This should shed some light on things.' Beetlemon's words burned throughout the warrior of ice's mind. When he tried to clear it, another memory surfaced. '_He who is a source of light shall be engulfed by shadows_.'

Kumamon's eyes fell upon the torch in Beetlemon's hands, watching as the flame continued to dance wildly, giving off light, so that they could find their way. Kumamon's eyes widened.

Suddenly, a loud 'bang' echoed throughout the area, startling everyone.

"What the hell was that!" Beetlemon asked.

"That sounded like an explosion!" Beowolfmon exclaimed.

"Oh no…" Came a panicked voice, belonging to Kumamon.

Beowolfmon and Beetlemon looked down at their young companion, wondering why he sounded so frantic.

"What is it?" Beowolfmon asked.

Kumamon looked up at him with frightened eyes.

"Th-The source of light!" He stammered. "_Fire_ is a source of light!"

Beowolfmon let out a shocked gasp at Kumamon's claim.

"Do you think the target is actually Takuya?" Beetlemon asked, nervously.

Beowolfmon let out a curse and took off running toward the direction of the impending darkness, where the exploding bang had taken place, knowing that he would find everyone there.

'Damn, we may have been wrong.' Beowolfmon thought to himself. 'The shadows…could they really be after Takuya, instead? Damn it, why didn't he just listen to me? I should be there right now, watching his back! Stubborn baka… Please let Kumamon's assumption be wrong. Please let the shadows be after me instead.'

Beetlemon took to the air, with Bokomon and Neemon on each of his shoulders. Kumamon was running directly behind Beowolfmon.

After a silent journey that took nearly an hour, at most, they came upon a large crater, dipping deep into the earth.

"Damn, was this the result of that explosion?" Beetlemon asked, in awe.

Beowolfmon searched around for clues. "The battle took place right here." He said to himself. "Where are they? What happened?"

Kumamon, Bokomon, and Neemon walked a little further off, when they noticed a piece of torn, green cloth in the distance. Kumamon's face would've paled, had it not already been as white as snow. 'Kouichi?' He thought to himself. 'Is this from Kouichi's shirt?' He suddenly caught a glimpse of something else a little further away.

"Guys, come here! Hurry!" Kumamon's voice rang out from a distance.

Beetlemon and Beowolfmon hurried over to where Kumamon was, only to find him kneeling beside the tattered forms of Kouichi and Izumi.

"Brother!" Beowolfmon panicked as he ran to Kouichi's unconscious form, de-digivolving back into his human form.

"Izumi!" Beetlemon called frantically falling to her side, as he and Kumamon followed Kouji's suit in de-digivolving.

Both had been knocked unconscious, and had their data knocked out of them. They were covered in dust and small scrapes. Bokomon checked them both over for injuries.

"They both appear to be okay." Bokomon stated as he let out a sigh of relief.

Kouichi groaned as his data disappeared back into his body. "Kouji?" He asked.

"I'm here, onii-chan." Kouji answered as he smiled in relief.

Kouichi allowed himself to grin slightly as he stirred. "So that's how it feels to have your data knocked out of you." He joked.

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Now that you know how we felt all those times, you'll find that you weren't missing anything great." The child of light muttered.

"Ugh, I'm so sore. I didn't miss that feeling at all." Izumi's voice groaned, as her data returned to her body as well.

"Izumi, welcome back." Junpei smiled.

Izumi grinned as well, as Junpei helped her to her feet.

"Takuya! Takuya!" Tomoki called in the distance, frantic as he refused to give up on the boy he looked up to more than anyone in the world.

"Takuya!" Izumi and Kouichi both exchanged frantic glances, as their memories of the past hour came flooding back.

"What happened to Takuya?" Kouji asked, frantically, as his relief transformed into worry once more. "Where is he?"

"They have him now." Kouichi answered darkly. "We failed. By the time we realized who they were truly after, it was too late."

Izumi glared at the ground, saying nothing.

"No!" Kouji shouted. "The shadows can't take him…they can't have him!"

"Calm down, everyone." Bokomon reasoned. "Kouichi, what happened here?"

"Tell us everything." Kouji demanded.

**(Flashback)**

"This feeling…" Aldamon whispered. "…The shadows… _He's_ coming…"

"Aldamon, watch your back!" Lowemon called, unable to get to him in time.

"Aldamon turned to find more SkullKnightmon after him.

"Atomic Inferno!" He called as his attack hit them dead on.

Just as before, the SkullKnightmon regenerated themselves and got back up, prepared for battle.

"We must obtain the source of light." One of the SkullKnightmon murmured.

"I don't think so!" Aldamon answered angrily, as he summoned another fiery attack.

The SkullKnightmon continued advancing toward the angered Chosen of fire.

'They keep going after Aldamon.' Lowemon thought to himself as he attempted to fight off his own flock of SkullKnightmon. 'Why? Is it because Aldamon is the strongest one standing between Kouji and themselves?'

'I've got to get to Aldamon.' Kazemon thought to herself as she continued fighting off the group of SkullKnightmon that surrounded her. 'I won't let him get hurt!'

"Atomic Inferno!" Aldamon charged as he fought off the SkullKnightmon. The legendary warrior of fire then froze in place, as the dark feeling got stronger.

"Lowemon," Aldamon called, "Do you feel that?"

"Huh?" Lowemon asked, as he continued to fight his way toward their leader.

"It's…!" Aldamon started, but didn't get the chance to finish. Suddenly, the skies began to change color, as the horizon grew darker and darker.

"What's going on!" Kazemon panicked as the SkullKnightmon suddenly stopped their relentless attack and stood still. "Why is the sky getting so dark?"

"I have a bad feeling about this." Lowemon answered as he glanced over at their leader for confirmation. Aldamon, however, remained frozen to the ground, as a tensed expression graced his features.

"Shadow Meteor!"

"Hurricane Wave!"

Kazemon and Lowemon's attackers fell to the ground, before getting back up again. This time, however, they turned toward the direction of Aldamon. Every single SkullKnightmon surrounded Aldamon in a huge circle.

"What's going on!" Kazemon asked frantically.

'They keep attacking Aldamon.' Lowemon thought to himself. 'All attacks are centered at him. They attacked Kazemon and me, as well, but it was as though they were merely trying to separate us from Aldamon, and because the two of us kept getting in their way. Why?'

Aldamon was glowing as an aura of flames surrounded him. The flames shined brightly, emitting a warm, reddish-orange light around his body, standing out in the darkness of the environment, giving off light.

Realization came pouring down on Lowemon, like hail during a thunderstorm.

"Aldamon!" Lowemon shouted frantically. "We're coming! Just hold on!"

"Lowemon?" Kazemon asked, confused.

"Come on." Lowemon ordered. "We have to get Takuya out of here…now!"

Kazemon nodded and the two rushed toward their leader and friend.

Aldamon stood his ground, as the dark feeling became stronger and stronger.

Suddenly, the SkullKnightmon stopped their pursuit, and looked up at the dark sky. Out of sheer curiosity, Aldamon followed their gaze until he was looking straight up at a cloud that seemed to be darker than the rest of the sky. The feeling of dreadful darkness was being emitted from the 'cloud', revealing to be something shrouded in dark shadows.

"The shadows…our enemy…he's here!" Aldamon's frantic voice came, when suddenly; a ball of dark energy came crashing down from the 'cloud'. Lowemon and Kazemon braced for impact as the attack descended slowly down to the ground, intending to destroy everything in sight, including the SkullKnightmon.

"Takuya!" Kazemon's voice cried out before then energy hit the ground.

Lowemon could barely make out two figures in the dust as it happened. One was a tall figure, shrouded in shadows; the other was Aldamon, who fell unconsciously into the figure's arms, before de-digivolving back into the small brunette. Lowemon suddenly felt a horrible jolt of pain pierce through his body, as he and Kazemon were enveloped in an endless mass of black energy and dust, causing an explosion that could be heard from miles around.

**(/Flashback)**

"That's what happened." Kouichi's low voice answered. "We failed."

"Everything happened so fast; there was no possible way that we could've retreated. We didn't have time to escape. We didn't even have time to use our beast spirits. We couldn't save him." Izumi answered sorrowfully. "What are we going to do, now?"

"We're going to find Takuya." Kouji replied dangerously. "We're going to get him back at all costs. Nobody's going to take him away from me."

* * *

A/N: It was Takuya all along? Or was it…? Who is the enemy and what will he do next? This chapter sort of added more questions (and confusion), but fear not, for a lot will be revealed in the next chapter. Sorry for the lack of Takoujiness in the chapter…it _was_ there, but you know how these kinds of chapter are. There will be more to come, I can assure you, especially angst. Hehe, I made Takuya and Kouji bicker a bit. I think that's exactly the way that Kouji would react, and if Takuya were put in such a situation, then I'm sure that he would do the same. They've changed so much, but they both still have their pride…but that's why they're both so loved, ne? What the heck is SkullKnightmon anyway? Well, I guess SkullKnightmon is something that I made up (although it wouldn't surprise me if there was such a digimon), since SkullSatamon are a bit too strong for Aldamon, Kazemon, and Lowemon to take on (if my memory serves me correctly, EmeperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon had a difficult time against them). They're basically undead and attack with swords. I'm sorry I wasn't clever enough to make up little attack names and all that. But this fic's focus is not on the SkullKnightmon, so oh well…

I was conflicted about a certain aspect of this chapter for a while, because I know a lot of people were hoping for something else to happen, but I decided not to change my original plotline, because I've had this entire thing planned from start to finish since last summer. I promise though, with eighteen chapters (a rough estimate) in the works, there will be plenty of angst on both characters' behalves to go around. Also, I dislike this chapter greatly. It went through many facelifts before I even remotely accepted it. Even still… --

Also, as I mentioned before, this contained the English digimon and attacks, with Japanese names (Zoe's a nice name and all, but I don't think I could ever refer to Izumi as that). I know this bugs some people, but I've read enough fics to know that most of you seem to recognize them best this way. I might change the digimon names and attacks to the Japanese version after this is completed though. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a million years. At first, I lost the motivation to write. I'll never have writer's block with this, as it's planned out from beginning to end. I just didn't have the will to type it, but I think all of you understand that right now, since many of you are going through it at the moment. Then, I got so busy with work and classes. This has actually been finished for weeks, but I was either too busy doing other things, or some evil force at hand wasn't allowing me to update because the screen would always freeze… The next chapter is nearly finished though, and I'm all fired up again. Spring Break is coming up too, and I'll probably have up to chapter 7 completed by the end of it. Anyway, I guess I'm saying that I'm back. This will be updated much more regularly, I can assure you. Thanks so much for reading this. I hope you guys won't kill me, but I'm well prepared if you do. I have an endless supply of Phoenix Downs and Bottled Fairies. Bwahahahaha…

**Angel Spirit:** Hehe, I'll bet you weren't expecting this either…or maybe you were. –shrugs and grins evilly- The Kouji angst will come very, very shortly…and there will be lots of it…in fact, lots of Takouji angst too. Yay. Hope this chapter wasn't too much of a disappointment, but you know me, and there is so much more to come. Hehe, I wanted to make Kouji and Takuya goof off like the good friends that they are. I hope I can do a little more of that… -glomps- Don't kill me. XP

**KellyQ:** It's okay. I understand. I'm glad you like Takuya in this and that he's not too ooc for your liking…and yes, lots more Takoujiness in the near future.

**Takuya:** Thank you. More questions will be answered in the next chapter.

**Dragi: **I'm glad you liked it. I hope this chapter didn't scare you away, lol. I'm glad you like Takuya in this. Tell Sasuke hello for me, and that I'm going to hurt him if he doesn't ditch Orochimaru and go back to Naruto-chan, lol. (j/k) There will be lots more Takoujiness soon…

**Kenzy-Chan:** I miss your fics, but I completely understand. Mallets are really good for knocking writer's block down. –hands you one- I hope that you get back to writing soon. And I'm glad you liked that chapter so much.

**ShadowedDarkness: **I'm sorry I confused you with the whole premonition thing. I probably should've explained it better. I can be such a twit, lol. And hehe, cliffs are evil, ne? I feel like such an evil person.

**Diamond Sapphire**: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope that this chapter didn't disappoint you too badly. As for the prophecy and Kouji and everything, keep reading. xD I promise to update much sooner this time.

**Sharp23: **Thank you! Hehe, silly Kouji and his inability to confess…hmm…keep reading. xD

**Kat**: Thank you very much. I'm sorry that there weren't kisses or anything in this chapter. You can spork me if you want to. xD

**StarGirl11: **Pocky is great. I wish I had some right now. It sucks to have to order it, lol. I'm glad you like the premonitions and stuff.

**-**glomps all of you**-** Thanks for being so patient with me. I hope this chapter didn't confuse or disappoint you too badly. Please remember to review, if you have the time.


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